RenoW

Born: 17 July 1917 - Oxnard, California

Parents: William C. Reno Sr. & Sallie Mae Richardson-Reno

Siblings: 2 brothers

Hometown: Oxnard, California

Enlisted: California National Guard

- National Guard unit was from Ventura County, California

Inducted:

- U.S. Army

- 3 February 1941 - Ventura, California

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

- Bilibid Prison

- held there from 8 March 1944 - 24 March 1944

- Japan

- Tokyo #8B

- arrived in camp - 11 April 1944

- worked Hitachi cooper mine

- Transferred - 14 August 1944

- Kawasaki #1B

- worked Kawasaki ship yard

- transferred - July 1945

- Tokyo #12B

- carried cement to build dam

Hell Ship:

- Taikoku Maru

- Sailed: Manila - 24 March 1944

- Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 27 March 1944

- Sailed: 3 April 1944

- Arrived: Osaka, Japan - 10 April 1944

Liberated:

- 4 September 1945

Promoted: Corporal

Died: 6 September 1987 - San Diego, California