Bushaw

Sgt. Delmon R. Bushaw was born on August June 25, 1919, in Mellen, Wisconsin, to Frank & Mollie Burshaw. He was one of the couple's five children. When he was two, his family moved to Janesville where he lived at 1549 South Willard Avenue. He attended local schools, and after high school, worked as a cook in a local restaurant.

Following in the footsteps of his brother, John, Delmon joined the Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd Tank Company which was headquartered in an armory in Janesville. To get into the National Guard, he lied about his age.

As a National Guardsman Delmon was called to federal duty when the 192nd Tank Battalion was formed from National Guard units on November 25, 1940. Traveling to Fort Knox, Kentucky, the Janesville Tank Company was designated as A Company, 192nd Tank Battalion. Delmon and the other Guardsmen remained there for almost a year until they went on maneuvers in Louisiana.

Upon completion of the maneuvers, Delmon and the other tankers learned that they were being sent overseas. Although, where they were being sent was suppose to be a secret, most of the men figured that the code word "PLUM" meant Philippines-Luzon-Manila. Delmon was given eight day leave home to say his goodbyes and settle any unfinished business.

By train, Delmon and his company traveled to San Francisco and then took a ferry to Angel Island. There he was inoculated and boarded onto a ship bound for the Philippines. After stops in Hawaii and Guam, the ship arrived at Manila on Thanksgiving Day, 1941. A little less than two weeks later he lived through the Japanese attack on Clark Field.

Delmon fought for four months to slow the Japanese conquest of the Philippine Islands. On April 9, 1942, Delmon became a Prisoner of War when Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese. He took part in the death march and was held as a prisoner at Camp O'Donnell and Cabanatuan.

While a POW at Cabanatuan, Delmon was assigned to the kitchen detail. On this detail, the POWs prepared the meals for all the POWs in the camp. When meal time came, Delmon would sneak extra food to the other members of A Company.

Sometime during Delmon's captivity, he was transported by Tottori Maru to Japan. The trip lasted from October 8, 1942 until November 11, 1942, with a stop at Formosa. In Japan, he was held at the main POW camp at Osaka which was known as Honjo Camp. Delmon remained in this camp until it was bombed out and destroyed by fire. He and the other POWs were moved twice. The new camp became known as Narumi Camp. The POWs in the camp were used as slave labor in the manufacturing of wheels.

After being liberated, Delmon returned to Janesville and married. He remained in the military and rose in rank to Chief Warrent Officer. Delmon from the retired to Odenton, Maryland, on October 31, 1960. He died on January 13, 1980, in Maryland.