1st Sgt. Yandell Terhune


Born: 23 July 1919 - Mercer County, Kentucky

Parents: Verna Cunningham-Terhune & Alonzo Terhune

Siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters

Enlisted: Kentucky National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 25 November 1940 - Harrodsburg, Kentucky

Training:

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

    - Camp Polk, Louisiana

Overseas Duty:

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

    - Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War:

     - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs started march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanesee artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire
            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
                - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
                - 100 POWs packed into each car
                - POWs who died remained standing
            - Capas - dead fell to floor as living left 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 spiget for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 

        - Cabanatuan #1

Died: 12 July 1942 - malaria

            - Approximate time of death - 8:00 A.M.

Memorial:

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


 

 

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