Cpl. Orrin H. Eaton


Born: 20 April 1918 - Santa Cruz County, California

Parents: Cecilia Penich-Eaton & Orrin O. Eaton

Hometown: Watsonville, California

Siblings: 2 sisters

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:

    - 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: 28 May 1942 - dysentery

Buried:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands


 

 

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