Sgt. George Faunsua Simmons


Born: 14 July 1915 - Happy, Texas

Parents: John A. Simmons & Maud I. Dishman-Simmons

Siblings: 2 sisters, 6 brothers

    - one sister died as infant

Nickname: "Tex"

Hometown: Happy, Texas

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 1 April 1941 - Los Angeles, California

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

        - cook

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

        - Yodogawa #3D

            - POWs worked in steel mill

            - transferred 17 May 1945

        - Oeyama

            - POWs worked in nickel mine and refinery

Hell Ship:

    - Nagato Maru

        - Sailed: Manila – 11 November 1942

        - Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 14 November 1942

        - Sailed: 17 November 1942

        - Arrived: Pescadores Islands – 17 November 1942

        - Sailed: 18 November 1942

         - Arrived: Keelung, Formosa – 18 November 1942

         - Sailed: 20 November 1942

         - Arrived: Moji, Japan – 24 November 1942

Liberated:

    - September 1945

Note: George F. Simmons may have been transferred to D Company, 192nd

           Tank Battalion

Died: 13 August 1972 - Los Angeles, California


 

 

 

 

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