Pvt. Anthony J. Shrelnes


Born: 25 March 1909 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Siblings: 1 brother

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Inducted: 

    - U. S. Army

        - 27 March 41 - Ohio

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 Japanese 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

        - Bilibid

     - Japan:

          - Osaka #2 - Kobe House

             - Work: stevedore
Hell Ship:

    - Rykuyo Maru

        Sailed: Manila - 13 October 1943

        Arrived: Moji, Japan - 1 November 1943

Liberated: September 1945

Discharged: 26 July 1946

Died: 14 Janaury 1985 - Euclid General Hospital - Cleveland, Ohio

Medals:

     - Purple Heart, Philippine Liberation Medal, Silver Star, Presidential Unit Citation

    - Japan: 


 

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