Pfc. John B. Tapaszi

Parents: Alex & Katherina Tapaszi

Siblings: 1 sister, 3 brothers

Home:

    - 2822 Woodhill Road - Cleveland, Ohio

Occupation: machinist - tractor company

        - 7 August 1940 

            - worked with Civilian Conservation Corps - Camp Green River,

               Green River, Utah - Company 3556

            - corps used poison oats to kill Kangaroo rats 

    - Inducted:

        - U. S. Army

            - 27 February 1941 - Salt Lake City, Utah

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

        - machinist

Units: 

    - 194th Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

        - 8 December 1941 - 6 January 1942 

    - Battle of Bataan

        - 7 January 1942 - 9 April 1942

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

           - started march at Mariveles on southern tip of Bataan
           - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
           - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
               - 100 POWs packed into each boxcar
                   - those who died remain standing
           - Capas - living left cars - dead fell out of boxcars
           - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell 

POW Camps:

    - Philippine Islands:

        - Camp O'Donnell

            - unfinished Filipino training base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spigot for the entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate 

        - Cabanatuan #1

Died:

    - 10 October 1942 - malaria & dysentery

        - Approximate time of death - 3:00 AM

Buried:

    - Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery

        - after the war, his remains could not be positively identified

        - buried as an "Unknown" at the new American cemetery 

Memorial:

    - Tablets of the Missing - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

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