Squyres

Little is known about Pvt. Earl M. Squyres. It is known he was born in Louisiana on January 1, 1922, and lived in Alexandria and later in Natchitoches. It is known that his mother died when he was a child. On September 17, 1940, while living in Shreveport, he was inducted into the U. S. Army and was assigned to 753rd Tank Battalion.

Earl volunteered to join the 192nd Tank Battalion and was assigned to B Company as a replacement for a company member who was released from military service because he was deemed to be "too old" for duty overseas. This most likely took place at Camp Polk, Louisiana.

When war broke out on December 7, 1941, Earl and the other members of the 192nd Tank Battalion fought to slow the Japanese advance. During the attack on Clark Airfield, the battalion guarded the perimeter to prevent the use of paratroopers by the Japanese.

When the Filipino-American forces in the Philippine Islands were surrendered, Earl became a Prisoner of War. He took part in the Bataan Death March and was first held as a prisoner at Camp O'Donnell. This unfinished Filipino Army Base was pressed into service by the Japanese as a POW Camp.

Conditions in the camp were so bad that as many as fifty men a day died from disease. In addition, there was only one water spigot for the entire camp. The Japanese, recognizing how bad the situation was, opened a new camp at Cabanatuan.

The fact that Earl's name appears on the Tablets of the Missing at the American Cemetery outside of Manila indicates that his final resting place is unknown. He is most likely buried as an "Unknown" at the cemetery. What is known is that Pvt. Earl Wheeler died at Cabanatuan Camp #1 on August 17, 1942 of dysentery. His time of death was approximately 9:15 in the morning.