April 23, 1942 Battalion:
Post Reply
1 of 1
80th anniversary of Corregidor Muster 1942
1,731 Views |
14 Replies |
Last: 3 yr ago by Cen-Tex
Thanks for bringing it up. Reminds us of what dark days those were.
But isnt the consensus now, that the original story was a bit embellished, to say the least? My understanding is that conditions were so bad by 21 April, that the defenders didn't have time for a Muster. I think it was more of a propaganda piece than a true recounting of the event.
Of course, they were damn heroes, and one hopes they were able to take a few moments and think fondly of their college days.
When General Moore, class of 1908, took those 35 newly minted Aggie 2nd LTs with him to Manila, they thought they'd hit the jackpot. One of the best possible posts in the Army.
Little did they know.
But isnt the consensus now, that the original story was a bit embellished, to say the least? My understanding is that conditions were so bad by 21 April, that the defenders didn't have time for a Muster. I think it was more of a propaganda piece than a true recounting of the event.
Of course, they were damn heroes, and one hopes they were able to take a few moments and think fondly of their college days.
When General Moore, class of 1908, took those 35 newly minted Aggie 2nd LTs with him to Manila, they thought they'd hit the jackpot. One of the best possible posts in the Army.
Little did they know.
All I know is that 2 days after the events on Corregidor happened they were talked about in Congress and written about in the Battalion, which is amazing considering we have immediate breaking news delivered to our phones
Unfortunately a number of the allies that surrendered after the battle for the Philippines were sent to the POW camp near Shenyang, China. Notables included Gens. Wainwright, King and Moore. Many of the prisoners at the camp were subjected to the medical experiments and war crimes of the Japanese Unit 731. It was said that once a POW was sent to Unit 731, you were never seen again.
BigJim49 AustinNowDallas
Joined:
Jun 24, 2001
Posts:
17,677
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Don't know for sure but i believe Gen. Moore sent out a letter re: their preoccupation duties butCanyonAg77 said:
Thanks for bringing it up. Reminds us of what dark days those were.
But isnt the consensus now, that the original story was a bit embellished, to say the least? My understanding is that conditions were so bad by 21 April, that the defenders didn't have time for a Muster. I think it was more of a propaganda piece than a true recounting of the event.
Of course, they were damn heroes, and one hopes they were able to take a few moments and think fondly of their college days.
When General Moore, class of 1908, took those 35 newly minted Aggie 2nd LTs with him to Manila, they thought they'd hit the jackpot. One of the best possible posts in the Army.
Little did they know.
mentioned the April Muster Day.
https://www.aggienetwork.com/corregidor/
It was April 21. Adams's book said Moore asked another Aggie, Maj. Tom Dooley '35, if they could get a list of the Aggies fighting at Corregidor. There were 27 Aggies on Corregidor that day.
"So, we had a roll call, and a muster is a roll call," Dooley was quoted as saying.
He sent word to one of the news correspondents reporting from the island, and the reporter wired the story back to the states. Aggies know the story. What was broadcast back to America which told the story of a little band of Aggies roaring and singing their defiance was a stretch of the reality. Artillery shells rained from the sky; historians say there is no way the Aggies were able to physically gather.
The article encouraged a war-weary nation. The story of Muster was told across the country, "which solidified one of the most meaningful traditions we have," said Marty Holmes '87, vice president of The Association.
It was April 21. Adams's book said Moore asked another Aggie, Maj. Tom Dooley '35, if they could get a list of the Aggies fighting at Corregidor. There were 27 Aggies on Corregidor that day.
"So, we had a roll call, and a muster is a roll call," Dooley was quoted as saying.
He sent word to one of the news correspondents reporting from the island, and the reporter wired the story back to the states. Aggies know the story. What was broadcast back to America which told the story of a little band of Aggies roaring and singing their defiance was a stretch of the reality. Artillery shells rained from the sky; historians say there is no way the Aggies were able to physically gather.
The article encouraged a war-weary nation. The story of Muster was told across the country, "which solidified one of the most meaningful traditions we have," said Marty Holmes '87, vice president of The Association.
There were 89 Aggies in the Philippines at the onset of WWII. 5 were killed prior to the capture by the Japanese. 84 became POW's. 59 died from torture and disease. 30 returned home.
My uncle, Paul A. Brown '28 (Capt. USMC) was one of the Aggies captured on Corregidor.
As the tide of the war turned and the American army invaded the Philippines and got closer to Manila and the POW camps in late 1944, the Japanese began moving the POWs to the home islands of Japan so they could be used as slave labor and so they would not be liberated.
They crammed the POWs into what came to be called Hell Ships. The ships were not marked as carrying POWs, and the ship my uncle was on was bombed and sunk by American planes in Dec. 1944.
This is a photo of the sinking ship; you can see survivors swimming to shore.
(Someone who knew my uncle actually escaped during this bombing and eventually made it back to the US. He contacted the family to let them know that Paul was still alive at that time.)
My uncle was transferred to another ship that made it to Japan at the end of January, 1945. He was sent to ***uoka POW Camp #1 in ***uoka City, on the island of Kyushu, Japan, and died there approximately Feb. 11, 1945.
He was awarded the Silver Star and promoted to major. His remains were recovered after the war and reburied in the national military cemetery in St. Louis.
An amazing and sad story. My grandfather died not knowing what happened to his son. My mother and her siblings mourned their brother all their lives. His two sons grew up without a father. His wife developed mental issues.
As the tide of the war turned and the American army invaded the Philippines and got closer to Manila and the POW camps in late 1944, the Japanese began moving the POWs to the home islands of Japan so they could be used as slave labor and so they would not be liberated.
They crammed the POWs into what came to be called Hell Ships. The ships were not marked as carrying POWs, and the ship my uncle was on was bombed and sunk by American planes in Dec. 1944.
This is a photo of the sinking ship; you can see survivors swimming to shore.
(Someone who knew my uncle actually escaped during this bombing and eventually made it back to the US. He contacted the family to let them know that Paul was still alive at that time.)
My uncle was transferred to another ship that made it to Japan at the end of January, 1945. He was sent to ***uoka POW Camp #1 in ***uoka City, on the island of Kyushu, Japan, and died there approximately Feb. 11, 1945.
He was awarded the Silver Star and promoted to major. His remains were recovered after the war and reburied in the national military cemetery in St. Louis.
An amazing and sad story. My grandfather died not knowing what happened to his son. My mother and her siblings mourned their brother all their lives. His two sons grew up without a father. His wife developed mental issues.
Paul Armstrong Brown, AMC '28
The 1943 yearbook had a two-page spread devoted to him:
It sounds like he was on the Oryoku Maru. They were first attacked on December 14 and ran aground in Subic Bay. They were attacked again the next day as they started to swim for shore. Later they were moved to Lingayen Gulf and boarded the Enoura Maru on December 28. That ship went first to Takao Formosa. When it was there it was bombed again but didn't sink. They were left in the Enoura Maru for three days before the Japanese transferred them to another ship, the Brazil Maru, that left for Japan on 13 January. They had started out with 1,600 POWs and were down to 930 after the last bombing.
Pretty bad conditions, crowded, in fighting, no food, attacks by allied planes, and murder by the Japanese guards. Author Lee Gladwin pointed out that both the Brazil Mari and Enoura Maru had been hauling livestock, and no effort had been made to clean out the manure before placing the prisoners in the holds. They were called 'hell ships' for the right reasons.YZ250 said:
It sounds like he was on the Oryoku Maru. They were first attacked on December 14 and ran aground in Subic Bay. They were attacked again the next day as they started to swim for shore. Later they were moved to Lingayen Gulf and boarded the Enoura Maru on December 28. That ship went first to Takao Formosa. When it was there it was bombed again but didn't sink. They were left in the Enoura Maru for three days before the Japanese transferred them to another ship, the Brazil Maru, that left for Japan on 13 January. They had started out with 1,600 POWs and were down to 930 after the last bombing.
Featured Stories
See All
28:25
3m ago
268
Keys to the Game: Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State
by Luke Evangelist
Scouting Report: Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State
by Tom Schuberth
TexAgs is Hiring: Entry Level Software Developer
by Brandon Jones
coastag227
Couple of thoughts - Reed/offensive staff and the schedule
in Billy Liucci's TexAgs Premium
38
KearneyAg
What would you have said if you saw this tweet before the season started?
in Billy Liucci's TexAgs Premium
35