Pfc. Ralph Lee Parker

Parents: William A. & Emma Parker

Siblings: 1 sister, 2 brothers

Hometown: St. Joseph, Missouri

Enlisted: Missouri National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 10 February 1941 - St. Joseph, Missouri

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

            - 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:

    - Philippine Islands:

        - 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 #1D

            - POWs worked at Seitstsu Steel Mills

Hell Ship:

    - Coral Maru

        - Sailed: Manila - 20 September 1943

        - Arrived: Moji, Japan - 5 October 1943

Liberated: September 1945

Died: 4 August 1996 - St Joseph, Missouri

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