Cpl. Daniel Harden Nugent


Born: 14 July 1920 - Meade County, Kentucky

Mother: Daniel Nugent & Annie Jane Gray-Nugent

Siblings:  3 sisters, 1 brother

Hometown: Hawesville, Kentucky

Occupation: Riverboat pilot on ferry that traveled between Hawesville, Kentucky and

                     Cannelton, Indiana.

Inducted: 

    - U. S. Army - 8 March 1941

        - Camp Atterbury - Columbus, Indiana

Training: 

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

    - Camp Polk, Louisiana

Units: 

    - 192nd Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty: 

    - Philippine Islands

Engagements: 

    - Battle of Luzon

    - Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War: 

    - 9 April 1942

        - Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs started 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: 

    Philippine Islands: 

        - Camp O'Donnell

            - unfinished Filipino training base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spiget for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 

        - Work Detail - Tarlec

        - Bilibid Prison

Hell Ship:

    - Nagara Maru

        - Sailed: Manila 12 August 1942

        - Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 14 August 1942

    - Suzuya Maru

        - Sailed: Takao, Formosa - 16 August 1942

        - Arrived: Keelung, Formosa - 17 August 1942

    - Oryoku Maru

        - Sailed: Keelung, Formosa - 24 October 1944

        - Arrived: Fusan, Korea - 27 October 1944

            - POWs took two day train trip to Mukden, Manchuria

    Formosa: 

        - Karenko

        - Shirakawa

    Manchuria: 

        - Hoten Camp

Note:  While he was a POW, Daniel became the orderly for General James N. Weaver

            who had been provisional tank group commander in the Philippines.  He continued

            this role when both men were sent to Japan and Mukden, Manchuria.  For his 

            dedication to Gen. Weaver, Brigadier General William E. Brougher wrote a poem

            about Daniel.

Liberated: September 1945 - Russian Army

Promoted: Technical Sergeant by Gen. Weaver while POW

                      - Most likely the only time a promotion was given while the soldier was a

                        POW

Promoted:  Master Sergeant

    - remained in Army 

    - after the war, he was General Mark Clark's driver

Discharged: 31 January 1961

Married: Ruth

Children: 1 daughter

Occupation: carpenter

Died: 13 May 1999 - Panama City, Florida

Buried: Evergreen Memorial Gardens - Panama City

Note: Munkden POWs is another website about the POW camp in Manchuria


 

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