Pvt. Willard Edward Hall
Born: 24 December 1919 - Oregon
Parents: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Home: Union County, Oregon
Enlisted:
    - U.S. Army
        - 16 September 1940 - LeGrande, Oregon
Training:
    - Fort Lewis, Washington
Units:
    - 194th Tank Battalion
Overseas Duty:
    - Philippine Islands
Engagements:
    - Battle of Luzon
    - Battle of Bataan
Prisoner of War
    - 9 April 1942
        - Death March
           - started march at Mariveles on southern tip of Bataan
           - POWs ran past Japanese artillery firing at Corregidor
           - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
               - 100 POWs packed into each boxcar
                   - those who died remain standing
           - Capas - living left cars - dead fell out of 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
        - Davao, Mindnao
            - POWs built runways and revetments
Hell Ship:
    - Shinyo Maru
        - Sailed: 5 September 1944
        - Sunk: 7 September 1944
             - Japanese shot POWs as they climbed from holds
             - POWs in water were hunted and shot
             - 668 POWs died
             - only 82 POWs survive and make it to shore
             - Filipinos hide the POWs
Liberated: December 1944
Discharged: 21 August 1945
Died:
    - 24 October 1990
Buried:
    - Williamette National Cemetery
        Section:  D   Site:  483

 

 

 


Return to HQ Company