Latest news with #BataanDeathMarch
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Mexico veteran honored on 100th birthday
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services honored a World War II veteran for his service and his 100th birthday on Memorial Day. Sylvestre Sisneros was born in New Mexico in 1925 and joined the Navy in 1943, where he navigated a ship with more than 1,000 soldiers on board during a mission in the South Pacific. 'We were in the liberation of the Philippines. We were bombed,' Sisneros explained. 'Suicide planes. They put two bombs in our ship, and a lot of people got killed.' Family of 105-year-old Bataan Death March survivor shares his story The flight deck was on fire, as well as the hangar below, which carried their arsenal of torpedoes and bombs. Specialists removed the fuses, then a group of soldiers, including Sisneros, tossed them in the sea so they wouldn't explode on board. Around 100 people were badly injured, and fifteen were killed, including two men Sisneros knew from home. 'He came back and actually recognized two New Mexicans who didn't come home, and he made sure that they were honored sixty years later for their families to understand what happened to them,' said Cabinet Secretary Jamison Herrera with the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services The department gave Sisneros a plaque commemorating all of his hard work to make sure his fellow sailors killed in the line of duty were not forgotten. Sisneros also had to deal with a monster typhoon in the South Pacific with winds reaching up to 80 miles per hour. His ship almost capsized several times, the gun mounts were torn off, and all of the planes were blown off the carrier. But he didn't lose any 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Woodring Wall of Honor in Enid remembers fallen soldiers
ENID, Okla. (KFOR) — Unable to speak for themselves, fallen soldiers must rely upon the family and friends who knew them. Jesse Mitchell, who died in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, National Guardsman Paul Howell, who died in a car wreck last year were two names spoken at this year's Memorial Day ceremony. Retired Col. Jerry Shiles, one of several speakers, lost a nephew to an IED in Afghanistan. He and family members of the fallen all had special reason to set aside this national holiday to remember. 'I know how important it is for the families to recognize the service of their family members,' says Shiles, 'and especially those they've lost.' In the 25 years since the Woodring Wall of Honor and Veterans Park opened, thousands of names have been added to the rolls. Tim Vanover's father Elmer was one of the few survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March during World War II, but Tim argued that his dad left part of himself in POW Camp 17. He insisted, 'Some veterans died but they didn't physically die. The way I look at it, Dad pretty much gave his life.' Lori Lenz's father Squire Utsler didn't talk much about his years in the Pacific as a Marine sniper during WWII. She learned what she could from his letters home which she compiled in a book. She also related her father's reluctance to honor anyone other than his fallen comrades. 'He would have been grumbling and saying, 'oh I don't want that award,' she says of his inclusion to the Wall of Honor. Former Enid Mayor Doug Frantz lost many of his fellow classmates who were part of the 1967 Marine Officers School. During a speech, he recalled, 'We took about 390 2nd Lieutenants to Vietnam that year. 40 of them, around 10 percent, have their names on the Vietnam Memorial over there.' Current Vance Air Force Base Col. Carl Miller lost people he knew in combat, but took comfort in the words of Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. 'That from these honored dead,' he quoted, 'We take increased devotion.' Grief and honor for those who gave 'their last full measure' to their country. As Taps played, survivors stood, veterans saluted. Their country took a moment to do the same, and to re-dedicate ourselves to give their sacrifice continued meaning. For more information on the Woodring Wall of Honor and Veterans Park, click here. Great State is sponsored by True Sky Credit Union Follow Galen's Great State adventures on social media! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Michigan WWII soldier buried 83 years after death
ALTO, Mich. (WOOD) — This Memorial Day weekend takes on a whole new meaning for one West Michigan veteran, as he is remembering a fallen hero much closer to home. After more than 80 years of unanswered questions, Bob Buys' family finally got the closure they've been waiting for. Buys grew up hearing stories about his great uncle, U.S. Army Air Forces Sgt. James W. Swartz of Webberville. Swartz served during World War II. He was captured in the Philippines and survived the brutal Bataan Death March, only to later die at the Cabanatuan POW camp in 1942 at just 21 years old. 'His mother searched frantically through the government to try to get his remains returned, but of course they didn't know where he was buried, they just knew that he had died,' said Buys. Years ago, Buys said the U.S. Army reached out, asking for a DNA sample to identify Swartz's remains. 'I gave my DNA and then it became personal to me,' Buys said. 'Maybe my DNA can help identify him and bring him home, something the family has wanted for over 80 years.' Buys, a Navy veteran himself, submitted the sample, but never heard back. It wasn't until last week, while searching online, that he learned his uncle had been officially identified in late 2024. His remains were laid to rest earlier this month at Summit Cemetery in Williamstown Township. 'Personally, I wish I could've been notified,' Buys said. 'I would've loved to have been at the funeral. But that wasn't to be the case. I'm just glad he's home.' Swartz's return marks the end of a long chapter for a family that spent generations searching for answers. In the 1950s, Swartz's mother had written letters to the Army, pleading to know where her son might be buried. 'Dear sirs,' she wrote. 'Would you please let me know if there's any kind of cemetery or burial grounds for the boys who died in World War II in the Japanese prison camp?' That question went unanswered for more than 80 years. Through a combination of DNA, dental records, and historical evidence, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency was able to confirm Swartz's identity. 'Knowing that I supplied my DNA…that small act on my part helped identify his remains,' Buys said. 'And now that he's back, his remains are back on American soil. I feel like this story comes to a happy ending in a way.' Now, Buys is looking forward to visiting the grave, finally connecting with his family's history in person. As we mark Memorial Day, he hopes we don't forget the meaning behind it. 'He's one of thousands of men and women that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms,' Buys said. 'And Memorial Day, as much as we want to celebrate with cookouts and family get-togethers, in the back of our minds as Americans, we should remember that somebody paid a price for our freedom.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Remains of local WWII veteran, POW identified -- burial set for August in Boonville
May 22—WASHINGTON — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recently announced that U.S. Army Pvt. Harland J. Hennessey, 24, of Boonville, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 23, 2024. Hennessey's nephew John Hennessey provided a DNA swab to confirm the identification of the remains. Although Private Hennessey died before his birth, Mr. Hennessey grew up hearing of his uncle and saw pictures of him. "I know he liked to drive his jalopy around the race track," Mr. Hennessey said. "I was told he never had a license but he did it any ways." Mr. Hennessey said his uncle could have been buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. "I think he would have wanted to come back to Boonville — he had been gone so long and will be buried next to his parents." Under the care of the Trainor Funeral Home, Pvt. Hennessey will be buried in the Boonville Cemetery on Aug. 23 next to his parents Howard and Dorothy Hennessey. The Boonville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5533, which was named in honor of Harland J. Hennessey in 1945, is planning to hold a celebration this summer. Hennessey's history Private Hennessey entered the U.S. Army from New York and served in the 803rd Engineer Battalion, Aviation. He was stationed in the Philippines at the time of the Japanese invasion of the islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, when Hennessey was captured, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942. After the surrender, the Japanese began the forcible transfer of thousands of American and Filipino prisoners of war to various prison camps in central Luzon, at the northern end of the Philippines. Hennessey was among those subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp -1. The largest of these camps, the notorious Cabanatuan Prison Camp held approximately 8,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war that were captured during and after the Fall of Bataan. Camp overcrowding worsened with the arrival of Allied prisoners who had surrendered on Corregidor on May 6, 1942. Conditions at the camp were poor, with food and water extremely limited, leading to widespread malnutrition and outbreaks of malaria and dysentery. More than 2,500 POWs died in this camp during the war. According to prison camp and other historical records, Pvt. Hennessey died on Nov. 1, 1942. He was reportedly buried in Common Grave 704 (CG704), but complications in the burial and recovery process precluded identifying his remains immediately following the war. American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) personnel exhumed those buried at the Cabanatuan cemetery and relocated the remains to a temporary U.S. military mausoleum near Manila. In 1947, the AGRS examined the remains in an attempt to identify them. Two of the sets of remains from Common Grave 704 were identified, while the remaining eight were declared unidentifiable. The unidentified remains were buried at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial as Unknowns. In 2018, as part of the Cabanatuan Project, the DPAA exhumed the Unknowns associated with CG704 for comparison to associated casualties. Laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established one set of remains as those of Pvt. Hennessey. To identify Hennessey's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA and mitochondrial genome sequence analysis. Although interred as an Unknown in the Manila American Cemetery, Hennessey's grave was meticulously cared for over the past 70 years by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Today, Hennessey is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website at Or learn more on social media at or
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"We were like 8 years in the Bataan Death March" - Former Mavs GM on Dirk turning into the franchise's savior
There was a time when the Dallas Mavericks knew how to appreciate and show loyalty to their European star. After drafting Dirk Nowitzki in the 1998 draft, the organization stuck with the then-wunderkind despite enduring two seasons missing the playoffs. Before picking up the German legend, the Mavs also failed to advance to the playoffs for eight consecutive years. The team's former assistant coach-turned-general manager, Donnie Nelson, likened the futile stretch to one of the most infamous events of World War II. Advertisement "We were like eight years in the Bataan Death March, the Maverick walk in the desert, where we hadn't made the playoffs," Nelson said of Dallas' woes. Nelson's hyperbolic comparison Some might have found it distasteful for the former Mavs executive to make such a juxtaposition, as the Bataan Death March was one of the most atrocious war crimes the Imperial Japanese Army had committed. During WWII, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, which was still under US occupation, was invaded by the Empire of Japan. One of the deadliest battles of the conquest happened in Bataan, a province 80 miles away from the capital, Manila. The combined American and Philippine forces, which numbered around 120,000, were defeated by the 75,000-strong Japanese troops after a three-month skirmish. Advertisement Around 72,000 to 80,000 prisoners of war were then forced by the invaders to march for nearly 65 miles to a train station, which would transfer them to Manila, while being subject to physical abuse, merciless killings, and harsh conditions. Perhaps it may have been too much for Nelson to use it as a comparison. However, the statement should give us a glimpse of what the Mavs had to endure for several seasons before finally getting a taste of success. For eight years, they never placed higher than 10th in the Western Conference, even if, at some point, the team had the likes of Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, and Michael Finley suiting up for the club. Advertisement Related: "I saw what Nico Harrison was talking about" - Kendrick Perkins proclaims Anthony Edwards will win a championship before Luka Doncic Nowitzki, the hero Dirk's arrival ushered in a new era for the playoff-starved squad. Of course, the former European hoops standout had to endure some struggles during his first two years in the Association. It didn't help that the lockout delayed his rookie campaign, including a full offseason. By his sophomore season, though, Nowitzki found his bearings, showing significant improvement in terms of production and poise on an NBA court. Dirk would have won the 2000 Most Improved Player award if it weren't for Jalen Rose edging him out by seven votes. In the 2000-01 campaign, Dallas was finally able to look past its own version of a death march, advancing to the postseason and securing the No. 5 seed. Nowitzki earned an All-NBA selection (third team), a feat he would continue to achieve every campaign until 2012. More importantly for the franchise, it went to 12 consecutive playoffs, which included two Finals appearances. Advertisement The Mavs failed to reach that stage again until last season when another European phenom, with the help of a resurgent Kyrie Irving and overachieving role players, steered the team to the Finals. Unfortunately for the fans, another death march may be looming for Dallas. A few months ago, its front office inexplicably parted ways with Luka Doncic to bring in an aging and injury-prone superstar in Anthony Davis, a move that frustrated many of the Mavs' supporters, including the retired Nowitzki. Related: "He made the Mavericks what it is" - J.J. Barea argues that Dirk is still the greatest Mav of all time despite Luka's accomplishments
