Vertuno

Cpl. Russell Hugo Vertuno was born on November 6, 1917, in Oak Park, Illinois to William and Leonore Vertuno. With his two sisters, Russell lived at 907 South 10th Avenue in Maywood, Illinois and graduated from Lincoln Grade School and Proviso Township High School as a member of the Class of 1935. While attending Proviso, Russell earned a major letter as the member of the baseball team.

Russell joined the Illinois National Guard's 33rd Tank Company in Maywood on September 23, 1940. His reason for doing this was that the draft law had just been passed requiring all young men to serve one year in the military. Like the other men who joined at the time, he knew that the tank company was being called to federal duty. In November of 1940, when the company was federalized.

At Fort Knox, Russell was assigned to ordnance. It was doing this job that Russell was injured when his legs were crushed between two trucks. Russell was hospitalized but returned to the battalion on September 13, 1941.

Upon returning to the battalion, Russell learned that it had been assigned to duty overseas. After almost one year of service, Russell was sent to the Philippine Islands with the battalion. The battalion left the United States on October 27, 1941 from San Francisco. Like most of the men in the battalion, he believed that his tour of duty in the Philippines would only last two to three months.

When the United States became involved in World War II on December 7, 1941, Russell took part in the delaying action on the Peninsula of Bataan. He, like the other men on the peninsula, knew that their cause was hopeless. But, they also knew that the longer they fought the more time they would buy for the Allies to reinforce Australia. Russell, being assigned to ordnance, drove a truck. His job was to make sure that the tanks received the ammunition and fuel they needed to keep fighting.

With the other members of his company, Russell became a Prisoner of War when the Filipino-American Forces, on Bataan, were surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. Russell took part in the death march and was held as a POW at Camp O'Donnell. It was at Camp O'Donnell that Russell died of dysentery on June 17, 1942, at the age of 24.

Russell was posthumously awarded the American Defense Medal, the Bronze Star and the Victory Medal of World War II. His body lies in the American Military Cemetery outside of Manila.

One side note that should mentioned is that Russell's two sisters, Rose and Virginia, were both engaged to other members of Company B. Both of their fiancés died while Japanese POWs.