Choate

Born: 13 June 1919 - Bonnieville, Kentucky

Mom: James R. Choate & Mille Meredith-Choate

Siblings: 2 brothers

Nickname: Carlie

- used middle name on military records

Home: Hart County, Kentucky

Occupation: worked on family farm

Inducted:

- U. S. Army

- 21 January 1941 - Louisville, Kentucky

Training:

- Fort Knox, Kentucky

- Camp Polk, Louisiana

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

           - Mariveles - POWs started march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanese 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 spigot for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate

- Cabanatuan

- Las Pinas Work Detail - 12 December 1942 - April 1944

- Work: runway construction

Formosa:

Inrin Temporary Camp

Japan:

Sendai #3

Arrived: 28 January 1945

Work: lead & zinc mining

Hell Ships:

- Hokusen Maru

- Sailed: Manila - 3 October 1944

- Note: Ship stopped Hong Kong -11 October 1944

- Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 11 November 1944

- Enoshima Maru

- Sailed: Formosa - 25 January 1945

- Arrived: Moji - 30 January 1945

- 564 POWs were on the ship

Liberated: 12 September 1945

Married: Mildred M. Branam

Residence: Hart County, Kentucky

Occupation: farmer

Died:

- 25 June 1948 - Veterans Administration Hospital - Jefferson County, Kentucky

- rheumatic heart disease - result of being a POW