Pvt. Ralph C. Williford

Mother: Kittie G. Williford

    - mother married John McKenna

Home: Ardenwald, Oregon

Lived: Gonzales, California 

Enlisted Oregon National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 16 September 1940 - Portland, Oregon

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

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

Died:

    - 7 July 1942 - dysentery

        - Approximate time of death: 1:30 A.M.

Buried:

    - American Military Cemetery - Manila, Philippine Islands

        - Plot:  J  Row:  1  Grave:  17

Return to HQ Company