Cpl. Raymond N. DeCloss


Born: 20 August 1918 - Fresno County, California

Parents: Raymond E. DeCloss & Catherine A. Nolan-DeCloss

Siblings: 2 sisters, 2 brothers

Hometown: Salinas, California

Residence: 10774 Bluffside Drive, North Hollywood, California

Inducted: 

    - U. S. Army

        - 26 August 1941 - Fort Lewis, Washington

Unit: 

    - 194th Tank Battalion

        - assigned as a medic to C Company 

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

Died:

    - 15 November 1942 -scurvy

        - Approximate time of death - 5:00 PM

Memorial:

    - Tablets of the Missing - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands


 

 

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