Rotharmel

Born: 14 August 1922 - Madera, California
Mother: Mary Karg-Rotharmel
Siblings: 1 sister, 5 brothers
Nickname: "Larry"
Hometown: Castroville, California
- he would later live in Salinas, California

Enlisted:

- California National Guard

- joined while he was still in high school

Inducted:

- U.S. Army

- 10 February 1941 - Salinas Army Airfield

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

- POWs left camp - 18 September 1943

- Japan

- Hirohata #1D

- POWs worked at Seitetsu Steel Mills

Hell Ship:

- Coral Maru

- ship also known as "Taga Maru"

- Sailed: Manila - 23 September 1943

- Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 26 September 1943

- Sailed: Unknown

- Arrived: Moji, Japan - 5 October 1943

Liberated:

- 4 September 1945

Promoted: Corporal

Married: Maxine Rippey

Children: 2 daughters, 1 son

Residence: Sacramento, California

- moved to Sacramento from Salinas in 1975

Died: 7 Janaury 2012 -Sacramento, California

Buried:

- Hillcrest Memorial Park - Bakersfield, California