Pvt. Earl Leo Pratt


Born: 22 August 1913 - Hopewell, Oklahoma

Parents: Ora & Emma Pratt

Siblings: 2 brothers 1 sister

Hometown: Hopewell, Oklahoma

Inducted: 

    - U. S. Army 

        - 24 March 1941

Training: 

    - Fort Knox, Kentucky

    - Camp Polk, Louisiana

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 spiget for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate

        - Cabanatuan

    Japan:

        - Hirohata Camp 12-B

            - Work: Laborer - Seitetsu Steel Mills

Hell Ship:

     - Taga Maru

        - Sailed: Manila - 20 September 1943

        - Arrived: Moji - 5 October 1943

Liberated: September 1945 

Discharged: 20 May 1946

Died: 24 June 1991 - Ellis County, Oklahoma


 

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