Pfc. Louis J. W. Yager


Born: 1910 - Nebraska

Parents: Louis C. & Iowa Yager

Siblings: 2 sisters, 3 brothers

Home: 10 South Sixth Street - Saint Joseph, Missouri

Enlisted: Missouri National Guard

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army

        - 10 February 1941 - Saint Joseph, Missouri

Training: 

    - Fort Lewis, Washington

        - tank mechanic

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
 
 

Died:

    - 7 June 1942 - malaria

        - Approximate time of death - 8:00 A.M.

Buried:

    - Remains Returned Home


 

 

 

 

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