Pvt. Ralph L. Smith

Parents: Loren G. Smith & Myrna B. Baker-Smith

    - father married - Elsie May Douthit 

Siblings: 2 sisters, 3 brothers, 2 half-sisters, 1 half-brother

Home:

    - Yamhill County, Oregon 

Enlisted:

    - Oregon National Guard 

Endisted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 16 September 1940 - McMinnville, Oregon

            - lied about year of birth

            - claimed he was born in 1922

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

Units: 

    - Unknown 

    - 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
            - run past Japanesee artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returning 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 

Died:

    - 8 June 1942 - malaria, dysentery, malnutrition

        - Approximate time of death: 4:00 PM

Buried:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot:   D   Row:  11   Grave:  101