Cpl. John F. Alves Jr.

Parents: John F. Alves Sr. & Amelia Alves

Siblings: 2 sisters

Home: Salinas, California

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 10 February 1941 - Salinas, California

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

Units: 

    - 194th Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

    - Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs start 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 spigot for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate   

        - Cabanatuan #1

    - Manchuria

        - Mukden

            - Work: saw mill and machine shop

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

Liberated:

    - September 1945

Discharged: 28 Janaury 1946 - Camp Beale, Marysville, California

Died: 15 October 1960 - Alameda, California

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