Sgt. Joseph Clarence McKusick

Parents: Clarence & Romelda McKusick

Siblings: 1 sister

Hometown: Salinas, California

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:

    -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 #1

    Japan: 

        - Hirohata

            - Work: 

                 - Seitetsu Steel Mill

                 - Stevedores - unloaded ore from ships

Hell Ship:

    - Coral Maru

        - Note: Ship also known as: Taga Maru

            - Sailed: 20 September 1943 - Manila

            - Arrived: Unknown - Takao, Formosa

            - Sailed: Unknown 

            - Arrived: 5 October 1943 - Moji, Japan

                 - Note: 70 POWs died during trip

Liberated: September 1945

Died: 5 February 2006 - California Valley, California

Buried:

    - Santa Margarita Cemetery - Santa Margarita, California

Return to Company C