Sandor

Born: 5 April 1918 - Youngstown, Ohio

Parents: Steve Sandor & Anna Kovach-Sandor

Siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters

Hometown: 1655 Midland Avenue - Youngstown, Ohio

Graduated: Chaney High School

Occupation: Pipefitter - Steel Mill

Inducted:

- U. S. Army

- 25 March 1941 - Cleveland, Ohio

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

Medals: 3 Bronze Stars

Prisoner of War:

- 9 April 1942

- Death March

           - Mariveles - POWs start march at southern tip of Bataan
            - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire

            - first food a handful of rice at San Fernando
            - 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 #1

Hell Ship:

- Tottori Maru

- 1961 POWs put on ship

- 500 in front hold and 1461 in rear hold

- 5 October 1942 – POWs left Cabanatuan for Manila

- housed in warehouse on Pier 7

- 7 October 1942 – POWs boarded onto Tottori Maru

- Sailed: Manila – 8 October 1942

- Note: 9 October 1942 - American submarine fired two

torpedoes at ship

- ship passes a mine laid by an American submarine

- Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 12 October 1942

- Sailed: 16 October 1942

- returned to Takao

- Sailed: 18 October 1942

- Arrived: Pescadores Islands

- anchored off the Pescadores Islands – same day

- remained anchored for several days

- two POWs died – buried at sea

- Sailed: 27 October 1942

- Arrived: Takao - 27 October 1942

- 28 October 1942 – POWs taken ashore and bathed

- Sailed: 30 October 1942

- Arrived: 30 October 1942 - Makou, Pescadores Islands

- Sailed: 31 October 1942

- Arrived: Fusan, Korea - 7 November 1942

- 8 November 1942 – POWs disembarked ship

- sick POWs left behind at Fusan

- those who recovered came to Mukden at later date

- white boxes contained the ashes of POWs who died

- 11 November 1942 – arrived Mukden

- Manchuria:

- Mukden Camp

- worked in airplane factory

- POWS walked six miles to and from the factory

- POWs worked everyday, but not one plane ever was built

- parents assumed he was dead

- first news home were a ten word postcard in 1944

- his faith in God, expert lying, and stealing skills kept him alive

- 223 POWs died the first winter at Mukden

- POWs talked about escaping

- six tried and were killed

Liberated: 18 August 1945 - Russian Army

- 29 August 1945 - American Recovery Team enters camp

- POWs taken by train to Darien, China

- taken by ship to Okinawa

Returned Home: October 1945

Promoted: Staff Sergeant

Discharged: 9 May 1946

Married: Katherine McIntrye - 26 June 1948

Children: 1 son, 1 daughter
Employed:

- U.S. Steel Corporation

- 38 years

- construction supervisor

- retired in 1972

Died: 13 July 1998 - Youngstown, Ohio

Buried:

- Calvary Cemetery - Youngstown, Ohio