Sgt. Russell E. Cunningham

Parents: G. E. Cunningham & Ruth Bence-Cunnigham

Siblings: 2 brothers

Hometown: Salinas, California

Married: Betty Loraine Scoville

Inducted: 

    - U. S. Army

        - 21 February 1941 - San Francisco, California

Stationed:  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

Died: 25 May 1942 - cerebral malaria

Memorial: Tablets of the Missing - American Military Cemetery - Manila

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