Casperson

Born: 1922 - Oregon

Mother: Flossie Stapleton-Casperson

- father died while he was a child

Siblings: 1 brother

Home: Dinuba, California

Enlisted: California National Guard

Inducted:

- U. S. Army

- 10 February 1941 - Salinas Army Air Base

Training:

- Fort Lewis, Washington

Unit:

- 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:

- Philippines:

- 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

Died:

- 3 November 1942 - inanition

- Approximate time of death - 10:45 AM

Buried:

- American Millitary Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

- Plot: L Row: 3 Grave: 80