Hicks_T

Cpl. Thomas J. Hicks was born in Elkin, West Virginia on April 13, 1918, to Albert & Mattie Hicks. His family moved to Salinas. California when he was a child. With his brother, James, he joined the California National Guard in Salinas. Sometime after the brothers were born their parents moved the family to California.

On February 10, 1941, Thomas's tank company was federalized as C Company, 194th Tank Battalion. The company traveled by train to Fort Lewis, Washington for training. They remained there until they were sent to San Francisco for transport overseas.

After arriving in the Philippine Islands, Thomas and the other tankers were housed in tents. They remained in the tents until the Japanese attacked Clark Airfield on December 8, 1941, just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Thomas's battalion fought the Japanese until they were ordered to surrender on April 9, 1942. He took part in the death march from Mariveles to San Fernando. At this barrio, the Prisoners of War were packed 100 men into small wooden boxcars. Those men who died remained standing until the the living left the cars at Capas. From Capas, Thomas walked the last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell.

Camp O'Donnell was an unfinished Filipino Army camp. There was only one water faucet fir 12,000 POWs. Men died attempting to get a drink. When a new POW camp was opened at Cabanatuan, Thomas was sent there.

During his time as a POW, Thomas went out on work details to Bataan, Lipa Batangas, and Camp Murphy. While on the Lipa Batangas detail, he was punished by the Japanese. Thomas was beaten by a Japanese guard and lost consciousness from the beating. When he awoke, he was being cared for by Richard Kellogg from Salinas.

Thomas also was recalled that in 1944 while he was building runways at Camp Murphy, the airfield was attacked by American planes. For safety, Thomas hid in a revetment as the planes strafed and bombed the field. As he watched the events, he enjoyed watching the damage the planes were doing.

It was not long after witnessing the attack that he and the other POWs were sent to Bilibid Prison. In early October 1944, the POWs were boarded onto the Hokusan Maru. On October 3rd, the ship sailed for Hong Kong and Formosa, arriving at Takao, Formosa on November 11, 1944.

Thomas remained on Formosa until January 1945. It is known that while on Formosa he was held at Inrin Temporary Camp. On January 14th, Thomas was one of five hundred POWs boarded on to The Melbourne Maru. The ship arrived at Moji, Japan on January 23rd.

In Japan, Thomas was assigned to Sendai #7. The POWs in the camp worked in a copper mine owned by the Kasima Corporation. He remained in the camp until he was sent to Ashio #8D. The POWs in this camp also worked in a copper mine. He was liberated at this camp.

Thomas returned to California. After the war, he worked as a draftsman. He passed away on July 19, 2001, in Greenfield, California.