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Shipmate's Spouse Makes Journey to Japan |
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT
American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society
December 5, 2016 Updated 1:00PM
Tel: (618) 521-3654
Widows and Children of POWs of Japan Undertake trip of reconciliation
Pearl Harbor Week
Nine widows and children of American former prisoners of war of
Imperial Japan are visiting Japan this week as guests of the
Japanese government. They are the 8th delegation of the
U.S.-Japan POW Friendship Program to promote reconciliation
between the two countries. This successful program began in 2010.
The families represent five American POWs of Japan who were members of
the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, U.S. Army Quartermasters Corps, 4th
Marines, and U.S. Army Air Corps. Japan attacked the Philippines and
other American Pacific outposts hours after their surprise air raid on
Pearl Harbor. All the men fought on Corregidor in the Philippines to
defend the then-American colony against invading Japanese forces. They
were surrendered in May 1942 after a five-month battle and all endured
over three years of brutal captivity.
The delegation is composed of: KRISTIN DAHLSTROM*, 78, of Des Plains, Illinois. She is the daughter of William Jesse Ellis, Jr. a civilian volunteer to the U.S. Army. Quartermaster Corps. He survived the infamous December 1944 “Hell ship” Oryoku Maru voyage to Japan only to die February 1945 in Japan at Fukuoka #3 Yahata/Tobata/Kokura POW Camp (Nippon Steel, today’s Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal). ROSE HENDERSON BRIDGES, 87, of Spartanburg, South Carolina and her daughter Mona Woodring. Mrs. Bridges is the widow of Talmadge Scott Bridges who served on Fort Hughes and Corregidor in the Philippines with the U.S. Army 59th Coast Artillery Corps (CAC). His last POW camp, Osaka #5-B Tsuruga POW Camp, was near the Tsuruga Port on the Sea of Japan were he was a stevedore for Tsuruga Transportation Company (today’s Tsuruga Kairiku Unyu K.K.). DORIS ELLIS DeVIVO, 90, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and her granddaughter, Mackenzie Schnitker. Mrs. DeVivo is the widow of Frank DeVivo who served on Corregidor in the Philippines with the U.S. Army 59th Coast Artillery Corps (CAC). He was liberated in northern Japan at Sendai #8B Kosaka POW Camp associated with copper mine and smelter owned by Fujita-gumi Construction Company (today’s Dowa Holdings Co., Ltd.). RUTH NICHOLS WILBER
SHEAVES, 89, of Colorado Springs, Colorado and her daughter, Linda
Van Skike. Mrs. Sheaves is the widow of Charles “Ted” Owen Wilber
who served with the U.S. Army Air Corps 19th Bomb Group at Clark
Field on the Philippines. Mr. Wilber was liberated from the Tokyo
2B Kawasaki aka Mitsui Camp #2 POW camp know as the “Mitsui
Madhouse.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0FzSK4JQBd1Sy1oTW1vMU9CNWs/view?usp=sharing |
*Mrs, Dahlstrom is the wife of shipmate Baesley (Lee) Dahlstrom, MRFN (1957-59) |
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