Riese

Pvt. Boyd A. Riese was son of Ernest and Ella Riese. He was born on April 3, 1921, in Avon County, Wisconsin. He was raised at 4321 North Walnut Street in Janesville and attended school there.

While Boyd was still in high school, he enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard. During his senior year of high school, his tank company was called to federal duty as a member of A Company, 192nd Tank Battalion. This resulted in his receiving his high school diploma at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

After training at Ft. Knox, he took part in maneuvers in Louisiana. It was after these maneuvers that Boyd's battalion was informed that they were being sent overseas.

Arriving in the Philippine Islands, he lived through the Japanese attack on Clark Field. He fought for four months before Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese. He took part in the death march from Mariveles to San Fernando. There he boarded a small wooden box car used to haul sugarcane. One hundred men were packed into each car. The dead fell out when the living climbed out at Capas.

Boyd was held as a POW at Camp O'Donnell. Within days, he volunteered to go out on a work detail to collect scrap metal. The POWs tied vehicles, that had been destroyed during the retreat into Bataan, together and drove them to San Fernando. From there, the vehicles were taken to Manila and sent to Japan.

Boyd came down with malaria at some point on the detail. He was taken to the Pampanga Provincial Hospital and remained there until July 27th. When he was released, he was sent to Cabanatuan. He was next sent to the Port Area of Manila to work on the docks. The POWs began work on June 13, 1942 and remained on the detail until July, 1944.

On July 14, 1944, Boyd was boarded onto the Nissyo Maru. On the July 17th the ship sailed for Formosa. After a stop in Formosa on July 27th, the ship sailed the next day for Moji, Japan. It arrived in Moji on August 3, 1944.

Form Moji, Boyd was sent to Kamioka Camp also known as Nagoya #7-B. There he worked in lead and zinc mines. With him in the camp was Emerson Rex of A Company. Boyd was liberated at Kamioka in September, 1945.

The camp Boyd was sixty miles from Nagaski. When the atomic bomb was dropped, the camp shook. It was only after the POWs sent men out to contact the Americans occupying Japan that the camp was liberated. Upon liberation, he was promoted to sergeant.

After the war, he returned to Janesville and married Alverda Brenden on December 21, 1946. He was the father of Leslie Ann. Boyd remained in the military and was assigned to the office of the reorganized reserve corps offices in Milwaukee.

One Monday in January, 1950, after coming home from work, Boyd lapsed into a coma. He regained consciousness briefly and was taken to Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois. There, he died never regaining consciousness.

Sgt. Boyd A. Riese funeral was held in Janesville. His pallbearers were all members of A Company. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Janesville.