rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on May 27, 2009 8:37:46 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I'm a proud grandson of a WW2 veteran, unfortunately he died when I was only a kid and wasn't able to ask him about his military life. Family members only knew a little about his miltary life so I thought of researching as a way of honoring what he did for our country.
I'm hoping you can help me because I have some questions with regards to my grandfather's unit since I can't find any info on the web. Here are the data that I acquired:
Branch: Infantry Unit: 31st Med. Bn. Hq (PA) - Fort William Mckinley and the 2nd Engr. Bn. (PA) - Camp Olivas He's under USAFFE and he's with his unit up to the surrender of Bataan. He served from 1938 up to 1946
Thanks in advance.
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Post by VeeVee on May 27, 2009 10:27:48 GMT -5
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rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on May 27, 2009 10:54:24 GMT -5
Hi Victor,
Thanks for the reply and the link. I'll go and check it out.
Sorry, but I don't know he's division.
I was told that he's also among those who marched (Bataan death march) and that he was a POW.
May I also ask what's the "T45" means in his dogtag?
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rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on May 29, 2009 13:07:00 GMT -5
Hi Sir,
I just learned that he was in the 31st Infantry division.
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Post by VeeVee on May 29, 2009 16:07:00 GMT -5
Great! So he was under Gen. Bluemel.
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Post by oklahoma on May 30, 2009 13:46:11 GMT -5
hey rhino...probably no connection, but my USAF dogtag has "T51" indicating tetanus innoculation, 1951.
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Post by oklahoma on May 30, 2009 19:55:10 GMT -5
hey rhino....after making my previous response about the dogtag, i began asking myself the question..."why would a guy, just freed from the jap prison pens, have a dogtag with a 1945 date for a tetanus shot", if indeed that is what the T45 means???finally, i convinced myself of a possible explaination. when the surviving POWS were released they were re-processed back into the US or allied armies and civilization. they were re-outfitted, of course, all new paperwork, records updating,etc, plus the inevitable immunizations given during a complete physical examination. all this would, i betcha, include a brand new dogtag with "T45" (date of new tetanus shot) stamped on it along with name, serial number and religious affiliation. just a guess, but i would like to think that it is an "educated one". i hope this is a little bit of help in answering your question. nice talking to you.
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rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on May 31, 2009 10:16:21 GMT -5
Great! So he was under Gen. Bluemel. thanks a lot. that info will surely help me in my research.
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rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on May 31, 2009 10:37:14 GMT -5
hey rhino....after making my previous response about the dogtag, i began asking myself the question..."why would a guy, just freed from the jap prison pens, have a dogtag with a 1945 date for a tetanus shot", if indeed that is what the T45 means???finally, i convinced myself of a possible explaination. when the surviving POWS were released they were re-processed back into the US or allied armies and civilization. they were re-outfitted, of course, all new paperwork, records updating,etc, plus the inevitable immunizations given during a complete physical examination. all this would, i betcha, include a brand new dogtag with "T45" (date of new tetanus shot) stamped on it along with name, serial number and religious affiliation. just a guess, but i would like to think that it is an "educated one". i hope this is a little bit of help in answering your question. nice talking to you. Hi oklahoma, Thanks you very much for the information. I researched about your idea that it was a tetanus shot and found out that you are right. I learned that in 1942 the remaining Filipino POW's in Camp O'Donnell are freed by the Japs to returned to their community. I found out through his papers that my Grandfather was called back in the service (USAFFE) in 1945 and served up to 1946. That probably explains the T45 in his dogtag. Maybe he was not given a dogtag when he was first called for duty in 1941 (PA) or it was lost when they were captured. Thanks again for the big help.
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rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on May 31, 2009 10:44:10 GMT -5
A followup please:
I would like to ask if you can kindly point me out the links of uniforms / unit patches used by the PA/USAFFE in WW2.
May I also ask what does a Distinguish Unit badge with 2 oakleaf clusters looks like?
Thanks in advance.
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Post by oklahoma on May 31, 2009 18:15:07 GMT -5
hey rhino....so glad i could help on the dogtag issue. i, sadly, am not as informed on unit patches,etc for the USAFFE as i should be. about all i know is what the philippine (US) division wore (the red and gold carabao head, the 45th and 57th scouts proudly wore this emblem) and the US philippine department (blue and white sea horse) shoulder patch. the US presential unit citation was a small blue rectangle worn on the right breast of the tunic. the distinguished unit badge i have seen, but can't describe. you might google" US armed forces decorations,etc" and take it from there. this site supposedly pictures all US decorations, campaign ribbons, unit citations,etc. about philippine armed forces i am not sure about. i would think that google would have the same for that nation's forces. hope i have helped a little. i am sure that you are very proud of your grandfather's service as you should be. all those guys were heroes in my opinion. i will always feel that they performed admirably playing with a short deck.
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Post by oklahoma on May 31, 2009 18:20:09 GMT -5
hey rhino....i betcha vic or ( veevee ) can steer you in the right direction. he knows about as much about that whole campaign as a person can know. he even gets out in the "boonies" and prowls around on the very ground where so much actual combat took place. i am just an old 76 year goat who has been obsessed with the bataan/corregidor campaign since elementary school, but am not up to knowing as much as vic and some other posters. i am always glad to pitch in when it is of some help though.
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Post by VeeVee on May 31, 2009 18:58:26 GMT -5
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rhino
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by rhino on Jun 1, 2009 10:42:10 GMT -5
Thank you very much oklahoma and veevee!
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Post by jonesy on Apr 14, 2010 21:39:56 GMT -5
Hi Everyone, Ok, I'm brand new here, I got lucky and my husband found your site through google. I have been searching hard for any information on my Uncle who was with the 31st infantry regiment, company G. He was in the Bataan death march and died a pow in Oct. 1942. His name was Stanley P. Jones (Cpl.) I would really like to know where he was when he died and if his name is on the Bataan Memorial. Any information would be great, my family was small, and I know very little. I do know that his remains were returned to the US in 1949. What a great site, I don't know much about M1's but I love history and my family is all about the military!
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Post by oklahoma on Apr 15, 2010 10:42:31 GMT -5
Hey Jonesy....I can't add any new information to you query, but will say to you that my nephew's wife (would that be niece in law???) had a grandfather who proudly served in Company G, 31st Infantry Regiment. This man died before his grand daughter became a member of our family so I, regretfully, never talked with him. I have been able to clear up a few questions that his daughter and grand daughter have wondered about over the years. He always had told them that he was not in the Bataan Death March, so they just assumed that he must have been among the 100 or so survivors of the 31st who were able to reach Corregidor only to be taken prisoner a month later. I have been able to establish that he was taken prisoner when Bataan capitulated, but being in one of the hospitals, evidently with malaria, was not forced into the Death March, but was taken, at some later date, to Bilibid Prison in Manila and thence to Cabanatuan POW compound where he was used in forced labor in the reconstruction of Clark Field. He ended up back in Bilibid where he was released when the First Cavalry forced entry in early 1945. This man was also a member of H Company for a time, but G Company was his primary assignment. Lordy, for all I know he and your Uncle could have been best buddies. It is a small world when you think about it.
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