It is with great sadness, we share the news that AMERICAN SUPERSTAR Donald Stratton, survivor of Pearl Harbor attack on USS Arizona, dies at 97.

Stratton's family posted on Facebook that he passed away peacefully in his sleep in the company of his wife, Velma, and his son, Randy.

"We are profoundly sad to say that last night, February 15, Donald passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his wife of nearly 70 years, Velma, and his son Randy. One of Donald's final wishes was that people remember Pearl Harbor and the men aboard the USS Arizona. Share their story and never forget those who gave all for our great country." the post read.

Stratton was just 19 years old on Dec. 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet. The USS Arizona, where Stratton was stationed as a seaman first class, took a direct hit with a bomb detonating in an ammunition storage area directly below Stratton’s battle station. Stratton managed to pull himself through the flames to safety, suffering burns to more than two-thirds of his body.

Among many other accomplishments in his long life, Stratton also became a New York Times bestselling author with his book "All the Gallant Men."

Stratton is survived by his wife, four children, and 13 grandchildren.

It is with great sadness, we share the news that American World War II veteran who piloted one of the search planes that located the Japanese fleet before the Battle of Midway, has died. Mr. Irvin Sullivan was 102.

December 7th, 1941: it was a day Veteran Irvin Sullivan will never forget.

"We heard on the radio live Roosevelt's day of infamy speech. Then I was commissioned in January of '42 as a naval aviator," says Irvin Sullivan.

Sullivan knew this mission would be a high calling on his life.

"The draft board sent me a letter that said greetings: on the 21st of February you will report. So I hurried up and the doctor got me ready and I was sworn into the navy."

He piloted one of the search planes that located the Japanese fleet before the Battle of Midway and led the way for his squadron.

"It was new years eve. At midnight he pulled the bombs and we were the first one to bomb the Japanese in '42."

When the war ended, his life's greatest reward...was back home, waiting for him.

"I came home and married my gal from newton Kansas"

"71 years..never had a cuss word or a shove or a push or anything I can honestly say that. She was perfect."

With deep sadness we learn that, Mr. Arnold Forrester, the last surviving World War II veteran depicted in an iconic photo of the bloody Kokoda Track campaign has died in Australia.

Key points:

• Arnold Forrester was one of six soldiers captured in a photograph by award-winning war cinematographer Damien Parer, on the Kokoda Track in 1942

• He celebrated his 100th birthday in August 2019 and outlived the other men in the photo

• As a younger man he did not discuss the war or participate in Anzac Day, but when the photo resurfaced he felt pride in reliving the legend of the historic campaign.

Short Memoire: Arnold Forrester was in his early 20s when he joined the fabled 39th Infantry Battalion and was one of the last surviving members of the group.

Untrained and under-equipped, Mr Forrester was a company runner during battles against the Japanese on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea in 1942.

More than 600 Australian troops died.

Margi Pavlovic, one of his four children, said she was glad she visited him at his Townsville nursing home on Sunday morning before he suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.

Mr Forrester outlived the other veterans in a photo captured by award-winning war cinematographer Damien Parer.

The group of six are depicted smiling and carrying rifles as they trudge through the muddy track after a battle at Isurava.

It has been printed in history textbooks and displayed at war memorials.

"It's an end of an era. Every year that photo surfaced," Mrs Pavlovic said.

Mrs Pavlovic said the 'lost' photo resurfaced when her husband was looking through Mr Forrester's 'special tins' of war relics.

"We didn't talk about his time in the war or the army at all as children," Mrs Pavlovic said.

"He didn't do Anzac Day … it was just sort of like buried and forgotten.

"That photo has created so much bringing out of history.

"Dad then started to talk about the people in the photo, his mates, and he sort of relived everything once that photo was brought back to life."

Mrs Pavlovic said her father carried the photo with him on Anzac Day marches in recent years.

"He was just very proud of [the photo] — that was mateship," Mrs Pavlovic said.

"Even though it was a terrible battle, that was the biggest thing in his life."

She said her father had faith the younger generations would carry the Kokoda Track legend on.

It is with profound sadness; we share the news that Normandy DDAY veteran Mr. Albert Rose as died. He was 96.

Albert Rose served his country honorably in the U.S. Army during WWII, receiving numerous commendations and medals. He was a member of the First Engineer Special Brigade Amphibious and participated in the invasion of Normandy, landing on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944.

He also was a survivor of the Exercise Tiger tragedy in the English Channel in April 1944.

Albert Rose returned to Normandy for the 49th, 60th, and 65th D-Day Anniversaries. This past June 2019, he returned to Normandy with his son, Patrick, to participate in the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.

After the war, Albert Rose was a machinist by trade, retiring from Precision Custom Components, formerly known as the S. Morgan Smith Company and Allis Chalmers.

Since 1985, Albert Rose has volunteered at the York History Center for the Library/Archives Department. He has spent the last 15 years researching, photographing, and cataloging all of the war memorials in York County.

With a heavy heart, we announce the passing of Pearl Harbor survivor and World War II SUPERSTAR, Mr. Emery J. Arsenault. He was 99.

Born in New Bedford MA in 1921 and was raised in Dennisport, MA. He was the husband of the late Lauretta Doucette Arsenault who passed away in 2002.

Emery leaves three daughters and their husbands Anne Marie and William Mullen, Louise and Donald Best, Laura and Kevin Connolly. He will be missed by his grandchildren Amy Best, Kate King, Philip Best, Lisa Costantiello, Michelle Abbott, Elizabeth Mullen and Marie Bylund. He had nine great grandchildren Matthew, Lilly, Allyssa, Dylan, Gavin, Aaron, Henry, Chloe and Harper. He was predeceased by his sister Alice Sentowski and brothers Hector, Robert, Gerald, and William Arsenault.

Emery joined the US Army at the age of 18 and served in Hawaii. He was one of the few remaining survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Through the generosity of The Greatest Generation Foundation he was fortunate to be able to return to Honolulu several times to be honored with other veterans on December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. He moved to Lynn, MA after his discharge from the army and it was there he met and married his wife Lauretta. They were parishioners at the former St Jean Baptiste Church in Lynn until its closing. Emery was also a member of the Franco American Amvets Post 161.

It is with great sadness, we learn the news that Australian World War II veteran Mr. Dick Payten, combat soldier of bloody New Guinea battlefields defending Australia against Japanese invasion.

Born in Dubbo, New South Wales. Dick Payten was sent to the Middle East in 1941 in the in his early 20s, he was sent by the Australian Army to New Guinea. Many of his mates were little more than boys when struck down by enemy fire. Some are buried in a foreign land, near where they fell. He has never forgotten them and their sacrifice, and today, we will never forget the legend Mr. Dick Payten.

You will be remembered and revered always for you were part of something truly wonderful. You stood in the path of one of the greatest forces of evil this world has ever seen and you and your brothers in arms said, "this far, no further". And with God on your side you men stopped the onslaught. This world owes you all a debt of gratitude.

Rosalind P. Walter, the First ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ Dies at 95.

Rosalind Palmer Walter — friends called her Roz, not Rosie — was born on June 24, 1924, in Brooklyn, one of four children of Carleton and Winthrop (Bushnell) Palmer. Her mother was a professor of literature at Long Island University.

Rosalind P. Walter grew up in a wealthy and genteel Long Island home. Yet when the United States entered World War II, she chose to join millions of other women in the home-front crusade to arm the troops with munitions, warships and aircraft.

She worked the night shift driving rivets into the metal bodies of Corsair fighter planes at a plant in Connecticut — a job that had almost always been reserved for men. A newspaper column about her inspired a morale-boosting 1942 song that turned her into the legendary Rosie the Riveter, the archetype of the hard-working women in overalls and bandanna-wrapped hair who kept the military factories humming.

The family settled in Centre Island, a village in the town of Oyster Bay on Long Island’s North Shore. Its 400 or so well-heeled residents have since included the singer Billy Joel, the lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and the media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Her parents sent Rosalind to the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Conn., one of the first college preparatory boarding schools for upper-class women.

By the time she graduated, Europe was at war, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 spurred the United States to declare war on Japan, Germany and Italy, she was recruited, at 19, as an assembly line worker at the Vought Aircraft Company in Stratford, Conn.

Her story caught the attention of the syndicated newspaper columnist Igor Cassini, who wrote about her in his “Cholly Knickerbocker” column. And that, in turn, inspired the songwriters.

Ms. Walter was not the only Rosie the Riveter. There were at least four other women who became models for the character as the War Production Board sought to recruit more women for the military factories.

Norman Rockwell drew his version of Rosie for the cover of the May 29, 1943, issue of The Saturday Evening Post — a grimy-faced, muscular woman in denim overalls, work goggles perched on her forehead and a copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf trampled underfoot. His model was a Vermont woman, Mary Doyle Keefe, who died in 2015.

And J. Howard Miller drew a Rosie poster for Westinghouse war factories. He portrayed her in a red and white polka dot bandanna as she flexed a bicep under the words “We Can Do It!” The image became a feminist symbol starting in the 1980s, reprinted on T-shirts and coffee mugs. The model for that Rosie was most likely Naomi Parker Fraley, a California waitress who died in 2018.

So Rosalind Walter cannot alone claim the crown of being the real Rosie the Riveter. But she was there first.

It is with great sadness, we learn that Mr. John Robert Schaffner, veteran of the 589th Field Artillery Battalion, 106th Division has died. He was 95.

Beloved husband of the late Lillian Schaffner for 71yrs. (nee Schlutz); Devoted father of Robert Schaffner and his Wife Barbara, Jeanne Buchanan and her Husband Richard, Paul Schaffner and his wife Carol; Also survived by 7 Grandchildren and 9 Great-Grandchildren.

The Battle of the Bulge broke the back of the Third Reich during World War II. The bloody battle was fought in the dead of winter. The weather was brutal and so was the fighting. Historians say more than 89,000 American soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or missing. German losses were even higher. A local soldier from Cockeysville had a ringside seat for the battle.

Private First-Class John Schaffner was a scout for the 589th Field Artillery Battalion of the 106th Infantry Division. On the morning of December 16th, 1944 Schaffner was sitting behind a .50 caliber machine gun in a foxhole at the edge of the Ardennes, a heavily forested strip of land along the border between Germany and Belgium.

“Before daylight, about 5:30 a.m. or quarter til six, artillery shells began to fall into our position,” said Schaffner. Being somewhat exposed, Shaffner got down into a little depression where the machine gun was set up, “and more or less crawled into my helmet,” said Schaffner.

A half-hour later, the barrage lifted and Schaffner called the battery commander and tried to get some information about what was going on, but nobody in the rear where the battalion’s 105mm howitzers were dug in knew anything.

“There seemed to be a lot of confusion,” recalled Schaffner as he sat in a rocker in his “war room” at his home in Cockeysville surrounded by memorabilia from World War II.

Outnumbered two to one in men and machines, American units were ordered to fall back in the face of the overwhelming German attack. Schaffner and a buddy were given a bazooka and six rocket rounds and told to cover the battalion’s retreat.

Outnumbered two to one in men and machines, American units were ordered to fall back in the face of the overwhelming German attack. Schaffner and a buddy were given a bazooka and six rocket rounds and told to cover the battalion’s retreat.

“We knew we were in deep doo-doo,” laughed Schaffner and he pointed to a painting of the hair-raising moment that hangs on the wall near his rocking chair. Schaffner picked up his field telephone and whispered to the battery commander, “We have Germans on the road in front of us. What should we do?”

Schaffner and his buddy were told to keep their heads down, because some quad-fifties, four .50 caliber machine guns mounted on lightly armored half-tracks were going to sweep the road with gunfire.

On December 23, Schaffner says German tanks and infantry attacked enforce. They pounded “Parker’s Crossroads,” the key crossroads named for Major Arthur Parker, the battery commander. At that point, Schaffner and 20 t0 30 survivors used a herd of milk cows as cover and escaped the carnage at the crossroads.

Although Schaffner was awarded the Belgian Medal of Honor and written up in twelve books about the Battle of the Bulge, he doesn’t consider himself a hero.

The 95-year-old veteran says he was saved by the Grace of God. At the end of the interview for Veterans Voices, Schaffner showed WDVM his uniform that he keeps in a garment bag in his garage.

“The only things that fit are the socks,” chuckled Schaffner and he struggled to put his uniform jacket on.

It is with great sadness, we learn that Pearl Harbor survivor Arleigh Birk Dies. He was 98.

The sound of a three-volley salute echoed through the streets of Gilbert today to Remember Pearl Harbor survivor Arleigh Birk.

Birk is from Hoyt Lakes and on this day in 1941, served on the USS Honolulu in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked.

He personally saw the bomb that sank the battleship Arizona nearby. 77 years later, the number of Pearl Harbor survivors has dwindled. Birk says so few are left that the survivor association newsletter called the Gram is no longer published.

December 7, 1941 found Birk part of a gun crew on the cruiser Honolulu in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.

“I was going to take pictures and I got halfway down the gangway.”

That’s when Birk noticed the Japanese attack and ran back to his battle station. The Honolulu quickly started returning fire. Birk’s ship was nearly hit by a bomb but reported no casualties when the attack was over.

Birk continued serving in the Navy until American victory in 1945. Today, just two months shy of his 99th birthday, he still lives at home and travels four miles a day to visit his wife Marion at her nursing home.

Arleigh Birk represents the last survivors of those who represent the greatest generation and the sacrifice and efforts those folks put in to ensure our freedom.

The beautiful Mr. James Douglas Jones, reported to be one of the oldest World War II veterans in the United States, has died at age of 106.

Born on Dec. 6, 1913, Mr. Jones was the son of the late James Jones and Rebecca Durham Jones. Known as “Douglas” and “Doug,” he spent many days growing up working on the family farm, and he attended Warren County schools. He also joined Jones Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, where he remained a member for many years.

As a young adult, Mr. Jones moved to Camden, N.J., where he worked with the railroad for many years.

Mr. Jones enlisted into World War II and served with the United States Navy in the Pacific during 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1945.

James Douglas Jones is remembered by family and friends for his service to his country, and the wisdom and example he provided. Mr. Jones married the former Priscilla Henderson, and they had a daughter, Beatrice Jones. Priscilla died shortly after Beatrice was born, leaving Mr. Jones as a single father to raise his daughter.

He went on to work as a maintenance engineer at Mt. Vernon Hospital and to marry the former Bernice Thorpe. The couple had a daughter, Servietta Jones-Hameed. In the 1980s, the Joneses moved to Warrenton for retirement and to enjoy their Golden Years. Bernice preceded her husband in death.

Mr. Jones married the former Sadie Steverson Alston on Nov. 28, 1998. The Joneses often worshipped together, and Douglas sang in the choirs at St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church. Sadie preceded her husband in death.

The reaper will take the WW II vets and then the Korea vets and then the Vietnam Vets..All we leave behind is our service to our country and a good legacy of service

A dear friend of the Collings Foundation and WWII veteran Frank Tedesco passed away on February 29, 2020 at the age of 99. Born and raised in Weymouth, Frank graduated from Weymouth High School. He went on to further his education, by receiving a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska.

Frank proudly served his country in the United States Army Air Corps during WW II as a B24 Liberator Pilot. Over the years, he received many awards for his military service, most recently in May of 2019, Frank was awarded a high medal of honor, the Legion D’Honneur for his service alongside France, during WW II. Before retirement, Frank worked for many years as an Aircraft Engineer for General Electric.
He spent countless hours volunteering: building the Spirit of Massachusetts in Boston, restoring a B24J Liberator with the Collings Foundation, in Stow, MA and public speaking educating the public on events of WW II. Frank’s passion for photography was evident by his numerous features in publications. On the weekends, he loved to sing and perform at clubs and piano bars. Frank frequented the Wings of Freedom tour and the Collings Foundation's living history events over many years. He was always the epitome of "The Greatest Generation."

Frank was a kind, selfless, and loving man who cared for his family. He will be deeply missed by all who were blessed to have known him.

World War II Veteran Wilbur Richardson dies at 97

Wilbur Richardson offered up his life for his country 30 times during World War II and spent the rest of it serving the communities in which he lived.

Wilbur Richardson was born in Long Beach on Nov. 17, 1922. Mr. Richardson enlisted in the Army Air Corps and at the age of 21, flew 30 missions in 79 days sitting in a ball turret of a four-engine B17 bomber. Two of those missions were on D-Day. He was a member of the 331st Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group.

Wilbur Richardson was wounded on his 30th mission, over Munich in July 1944, and spent five weeks in the hospital.

The decorated veteran wore his uniform proudly each year to accept a Chino Hills city council proclamation during Mighty Eighth Air Force Week, commemorating Oct. 4 through 14, 1943, when 150 heavy bombers were lost.

The Eighth Air Force was dispatched to England in 1942, the largest military unit in World War II and the largest bomber force in history. Wilbur Richardson was a recipient of the Purple Heart, five Air Medals, the Presidential Citation, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Croix de Guerre Avec Palm for dropping supplies for French Resistance fighters. Wilbur Richardson said he was most proud of the Flying Cross medal.

It is with a heavy heart, we learn the news that the beautiful Benjamin Mendoza, World War II, Tech 4 with the 264th Field Artillery Battalion has passed away.

Born in March 1920 in Flagstaff, Arizona, Mr. Mendoza enlisted into the United Army and joined the 264th Field Artillery Battalion saw action in the European Theater in the following battles and campaigns: Northern France, Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), Rhineland, Central Europe and Battle of Hürtgen Forest.

The 264th supported General Patton’s 3rd Army, General Blaskowitz’s 9th Army and General Bradley’s 1st US. Army.

Here is a transcript of some of his wartime experiences – in his own words:

I sailed across the Atlantic to England aboard “Saturnia” an Italian Luxury Liner which was used for transport of American troop personnel, arriving into Utah Beach during the wintertime. We were on reserve at the Battle of Brest, then traveled across Northern France to the Hürtgen Forest, where we had control at the time.

I was ordered to go on guard at the hotel and take one GI with me. I was so terribly afraid I didn't make any sudden movements. I was constantly checking my watch to see when my guard duty was up, there were Germans all around us. The night was warming up, snow all over, so the snow was melting. When the melting snow would hit the floor, you would imagine that it was German footsteps. My relief came, and I went into a room that was picked by my driver because it had a heater, it was only us two in the hotel when we got there, but by the time I went into the room, it was full of men. I only found a space where my bag was, so I laid down and passed out. The next morning, I got up and had breakfast and went outside, it looked like a tornado had hit. The trees were mowed down, and there were dead German soldiers everywhere.

Three German tanks were up on the hill, and as I went by, there was a group of my men all together looking at all the dead German soldiers. I went past them, and they followed me. I went and removed the snow from the first soldier, but something was off, it was an American uniform. I unbutton the collar and underneath the American uniform was a German uniform. I showed my men and told them that this is what we have to watch out for. Before we knew it, we were in Maastricht and then Aachen Germany.

It was then time for us to take a position before the Rhine River, between Dusseldorf and Cologne. About that time, the Germans broke through on the 1st Army front, and we were ready. My Gosh, it was so incredibly cold. But you know something, being cold, icy and wet most the time and I never got sick. It was so cold that the guns would get stuck. I was trying to get that backpressure out. I didn't have gloves (When I asked the reason why he wasn't issued have gloves, he replied,"

"Oh I was, but the infantrymen in the front needed them more than I did so I gave them to a soldier in the front") and my hands and fingers would get stuck to the Howitzer while I worked on them.

In order to free my fingers, I would have to blow my breath on my fingers to release them.

We crossed the Rhine River at a bridge called Remagan that had been blown out and crossing on a pontoon bridge. Our 8"" Howitzers were heavy for the Pontoon bridge, we struggled with our big tractors. The front end of the tractor with the howitzer was lifted because of the weight, because we were a battalion, we had big, heavy equipment, you know you have to give the engineers credit, what they built stayed until the entire battalion went over the bridge.

Next, the forward observers went, and they found a house and I was invited, they said its going to be night soon, why don't you come with us, you won't be needed. Like a dummy, I went. We went upstairs, and something stirred, and the Germans started to fire. It seemed that they were firing from across the Rhine river. Still, they were firing from some other place, the trajectory was coming in through the window, and I thought what the heck did I get myself into. I realized at that time that I could never be a forward observer, the heck with them. They were crazy.

When I had to sleep in my foxhole in enemy territory, I would get up to work on the guns, and I would use my scabbard sword by waving it in front of me because you couldn't see your hand in front of you. There were shell holes everywhere, you're trying to figure out where to go and wham! You fall into a shell hole, and you are trying to remember which way you fell in, but once you fell in, you had no idea which way to go.

After I was done fixing the guns, I would try to find my way back to my foxhole, I would leave a small piece of the tent out, I would pull it up, take off my rifle, and scabbard and crawl in there soaking wet and shaking. I had half of my foxhole with straw, and soon I would feel the heat and stop shaking and fall asleep. The next day it would be the same thing over and over and over.

Let me tell you about the time I got lost. We moved towards Kassel; the German troops were retreating so fast that we couldn't keep up with them, so we changed directions. I always brought up the rear; when we came to a small valley, I couldn't see the outfit anymore.

There was a fork in the road, so we took a left, which was the wrong way. We drove till the trail got narrow, and we were also running out of gas. Luckily for us, a truck was coming from a post direction. We stopped the truck, and they gave us 10 gallons of gas, which was enough to get us back to the fork on the road. It was already late, and we took turns on guard, surely someone would come after us, but no one came. So early in the morning, we started out. We found out that we were near Frankfort, we ran into an M.P., and we asked if he saw our 8"" Howitzer outfit the night before. He wasn't on duty but directed us to the 3rd Army Headquarters.

After talking to an Officer who was on the phone for over half an hour, he said, soldier, I know where you need to go. He gave me a map marked with red marker for where I needed to go. I told him that we were out of gas. We were able to fill up and get a couple days of rations. We left Frankfort with stomachs full and finally knowing where we were going.

We finally caught up to our outfit and Captain Grant was waiting for us. I saluted, He said; “where the hell have you been?” I said; “we were lost sir,” and he said; “do you know where the hell you are going,” I said; “yes sir,’ I've been to 3rd Army Headquarters, I was told to pull in because everyone was out of gas. From there, we went on to Schwabach, close to Nuremberg, which was the end of our route." ~ Words of Benjamin Mendoza.

Benjamin Mendoza is survived by his wife Elisa and their daughter Elizabeth. Also included are daughters Marina, Monica, Ramona, Jovita, and Guadalupe, his son's Ben Jr. Ricardo and Mario, 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren as well as numerous nieces, nephews and many other relatives.

It is with great sadness; we learn the news that Bataan Death March survivor, Prisoner of War, Veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War, Lt. COL Rodolfo V. Paraiso has died. He was 100.

Born in Manila, Philippines in 1919, Rodolfo Paraiso joined the Philippine Army at 20 years of age. Shortly after basic training, Rodolfo Paraiso joined forces with the US. Army in Luzon, Philippines.

After the April 9, 1942 U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March.

Bataan Death March: Background
The day after Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began. Within a month, the Japanese had captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the American and Filipino defenders of Luzon (the island on which Manila is located) were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. For the next three months, the combined U.S.-Filipino army held out despite a lack of naval and air support. Finally, on April 9, with his forces crippled by starvation and disease, U.S. General Edward King Jr. (1884-1958), surrendered his approximately 75,000 troops at Bataan.

Bataan Death March: April 1942
The surrendered Filipinos and Americans soon were rounded up by the Japanese and forced to march some 65 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando. The men were divided into groups of approximately 100, and the march typically took each group around five days to complete. The exact figures are unknown, but it is believed that thousands of troops died because of the brutality of their captors, who starved and beat the marchers, and bayoneted those too weak to walk. Survivors were taken by rail from San Fernando to prisoner-of-war camps, where thousands more died from disease, mistreatment and starvation.

Bataan Death March: Aftermath
America avenged its defeat in the Philippines with the invasion of the island of Leyte in October 1944. General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), who in 1942 had famously promised to return to the Philippines, made good on his word. In February 1945, U.S.-Filipino forces recaptured the Bataan Peninsula, and Manila was liberated in early March.

After the war, an American military tribunal tried Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the Philippines. He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.

Following World War II, Mr. Paraiso joined guerrilla forces to free his homeland of Korea. In Korea, Mr. Paraiso had two combat jumps while serving as forward observer. After Korea, Mr. Paraiso went on to serve in the Vietnam War.

After is military career was over, Mr. Paraiso received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart w/1 Cluster, Commendation with w/1 Cluster, Prisoner of War Medal, Good Conduct (3 awards), American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign w/2 Stars, WWII Victory Medal, Korean Service w/Bronze Arrowhead and 2 Stars, Armed Forces Expeditionary, Occupation (Germany), National Defense Service w/1 Star, Armed Forces Reserve, Philippine Defense w/1 Star, Philippine Liberation, Philippine Independence, UN Service, Presidential Unit Citation w/2 Clusters, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Presidential Unit Citation.

It is with great sadness; we learn the news that World War II Veteran and TGGF Ambassador Mr. Joseph H. MACK has died. He was 94.

He’ll never forget the horrors he saw from the moment he stepped onto that sandy beach in a foreign land on the other side of the world.

For 19-year-old Joseph H. Mack, it was a surreal experience -- giant ships filling the port, airplanes flying overhead dropping their loads on the landscape before them, bullets flying by above their heads, the earth shaking beneath their feet and the night filled with the booming explosions of bombs.

“I left a lot of buddies on the field,” Mack remembered. “They were injured, and I wanted to stay with them, but we were told to keep moving. We were the infantry.”

For first time in 70 years, Joseph Mack returned to Normandy with the Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation for the 70th anniversary to the site where he first set foot in Normandy, assigned to U.S. Army King Company, Third Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Division.

The invasion started on June 6, 1944, but it was more than a month later that Mack landed at Normandy, his grandson Patrick Mack said in the press release, and began fighting in the hedgerows, which were thick growth on embankments that had built up over the centuries as Norman farmers moved rocks and rubbish to the edges of their fields. Battles would be fought from one small field to the next, each a natural fortress, Patrick Mack wrote in a history of his grandfather’s military service.

The one thing Mack surely remembers about his first day in war is that he wasn’t afraid. In training, he had been told that only 10 percent of them would go down in battle. Of course, landing at Normandy soon proved that false. In the first battle, some 50 percent of his division was lost and in two more subsequent battles 75 percent of the division in each fight were lost.

Mack marched through Paris with his division and was wounded in the bloody battles of the Hurtgen forest. A month later, he was right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. He led men in combat as an infantry squad leader with the rank of sergeant and also served as a platoon guide, the press release stated. He survived five battles including Omaha Beach (France), Percy (France), Paris (France), Hertgen Forest (Belgium-German Border), and the Battle of the Bulge. It was in the Hertgen Forest battle that he received the wound for which he was awarded the Purple Heart, Patrick Mack stated.

For his service, Mack was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge and a Presidential Unit Citation, among other honors. The Bronze Star medal was actually just recently presented to him, 70 years after it was earned. Mack was bestowed the Legion of Honor for participating in the liberation of France during World War II.

Mack said he doesn’t know why he was spared, but he chalks it up to divine intervention. “It’s the only way to describe it,” he said. ” (God) had something planned for me to have survived so many battles. “

After the war, Mack worked at IBM in Binghamton where he lived with his wife, Helen, and raised six children. When he retired, he moved to Charlotte, N.C., and served as a deacon for the Catholic Church for 31 years. He has also been a member of the Knights of the Columbus since 1945.

It is with great sadness; we learn the news that World War II Veteran and TGGF Ambassador Mr. Lou Masciangelo, has died. He was 99.

Mr. Masciangelo served in the Army Air Corp between 1943-1945, 8th Air Force, 339th Bomb Group, 565th Bomb Squad in Norfolk, England.

The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943 and 25 August 1943 and at Massicault, Tunisia, between 19 September 1943 and 3 October 1943. During this period, the detachment carried out bombing raids over Crete, Sicily, Italy, Austria and Romania. The Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for the Ploesti oil fields mission on 1 August 1943.

From October 1943, Masciangelo and the 389th supported Allied operations at Salerno and hit targets in Corsica, Italy, and Austria. Resumed operations from England in Oct 1943, and until Apr 1945 concentrated primarily on strategic objectives in France, the Low Countries, and Germany.

Targets included shipbuilding yards at Vegesack, industrial areas of Berlin, oil facilities at Merseburg, factories at Munster, railroad yards at Sangerhausen, and V-weapon sites at Pas de Calais. Participated in the intensive air campaign against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 Feb 1944.

Also flew support and interdictory missions on several occasions, bombing gun batteries and airfields in support of the Normandy invasion in Jun 1944, striking enemy positions to aid the breakthrough at St Lo in Jul 1944, hitting storage depots and communications centers during the Battle of the Bulge (Dec 1944-Jan 1945), and dropping food, ammunition, gasoline, and other supplies to troops participating in the airborne assault across the Rhine in Mar 1945. Flew last combat mission late in Apr 1945.

Preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Catherine Pomponio, parents Vincent J and Teresa (Piscini), brothers Henry and Vincent, granddaughter Amy.Survived by sons James (Debora) and Stephen, brother Roger, sisters Mae, Theresa Ciccarelli, Ida (Carl), sister-in-law Mary Masciangelo, 3 grandchildren, 3 great children, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Australian World War II legend and Football Star Mr. Jack Jones dies aged 95.

Mr. Jack Jones enlisted in the Second AIF on 15 December 1942 and served with the 24th Infantry Battalion fighting the Japanese in New Guinea and Bougainville until wars end. During active service, Jones lost 85 men killed and 184 wounded from his company.

Upon wars end, members of the battalion received the following decorations: two Distinguished Service Orders, two Members of the Order of the British Empire, eight Military Crosses and one Bar, six Distinguished Conduct Medals, 16 Military Medals, one British Empire Medal, two George Medals, 10 Efficiency Medals, two Efficiency Decorations, and 33 Mentions in dispatches.

On his return from military service, Jones began his career at Essendon in 1946 wearing the number 24 jumper and went on to play 175 games and kick 156 goals. Jones could be dangerous on a half-forward flank as well as taking a fair share of the ruck work. He used his speed to the full by continually breaking into the open. He also thrilled fans with his high-marking and was a good long kick and was considered one of the fastest big men in the game.

Between 1946 and 1952, Jones played in 133 consecutive games, a feat no Essendon player has bettered. He also never played in the Seconds, missing senior games only through injury.

He played during one of the club's golden eras alongside champions like Reynolds, Coleman and Hutchison. He was a reserve in the 1946 premiership team and starred on the half-forward flank in the 1949 premiership team. He was also in that spot in the 1950 premiership win. In all, he played in 18 finals games and seven Grand Finals.

He won Essendon's best utility player award in 1946, 1947, 1949 and 1954 and the best clubman award in 1953.

He maintained a long association with Essendon over the years, conducting tours at Windy Hill and hosting sponsors and guests on match day as well as speaking to players and providing inspiration.

In February 2020 he was diagnosed with cancer and told he had, "maybe three months, maybe six months". He responded by saying “I’m quite ready, 95 is not a bad age to live." Mr. Jones died on March 24 at the age of 95.

It is with great sadness; we learn the news that World War II SUPERSTAR Mr. Paul William Joseph Schumacher has passed from this world. He was 97.

A second-generation German, he was born in rural Indiana on January 30, 1923, and went to fight the Germans twenty years later. He entered France shortly after D-Day, fought through the hedgerows of France to Belgium and Western Germany, and confronted the Germans at the Huertgen Forest, the longest battle of WWII.

Had a German sniper been two inches more accurate, his marriage, his family and his marvelous life would have never been. He crossed the Rhein River, helping to capture the bridge at Remagen before it was destroyed. He remained in Germany as part of the occupation force, and true to his nature, made many friends there, whom he would visit often in the years after the war. He was injured during the war and was hospitalized at the Veterans Hospital at Memphis Tennessee, where he met a nurse, Ada Ellen Huggins, fell in love and married.

He graduated from Indiana Tech University with a degree in engineering, and was employed by the Air Force, assisting with flight test operations, as well as the Mercury and Gemini space programs, after additional training in aeronautical engineering at The Ohio State University. He was employed and stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio until he retired, with many profound congratulations.

As a young engineer, he was flying with a test pilot near Dayton when the jet plane malfunctioned and crashed. Once again, he survived, but only with a painful back injury and period of hospitalization. Thank God he survived because organizations such as the Corinth Children’s Theater, the Pleasant Site Volunteer Fire Department, the Ninth Infantry Division Association and many other community programs would have been without his care, skills and donations of time, money and effort.

He loved his wife, his children and his grandchildren, and thanks to his long life, he was able to spend wonderful time with his great granddaughter, who he often drove a thousand miles to see. He always opened his letters to his grandchildren with “Greetings from Tennessee” even though privately, he thought it odd for a Yankee to be buried in the South. He worked in his garden and gave away more than he ate. He loved his Tennessee woods, the creatures there, and he loved his country.

Rest well soldier. Your service to this world is done.

It is with great sadness; we learn the news that World War II Superstar and TGGF Ambassador Mr. Richard "Dick" Manchester has died. Dick was 94.

Dick was born in Baltimore, MD, in 1925, and grew up in western Pennsylvania. In 1943, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the US Army and served as a light infantryman with Co. K 345 Infantry, 87th Division from 1943 to 1945 fighting throughout France, Belgium and Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge, through Germany into Czechoslovakia.

By wars end, Manchester and the 87th liberated the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, a German forced labor and concentration camp located near Ohrdruf, south of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. Prisoners not executed by fleeing SS guards were near death from starvation and disease.

After 154 successive days in combat, Manchester and the 87th Division had over battle casualties, with 1,154 killed in action.

After the war, he attended Penn State University on the GI Bill and obtained an engineering degree. He spent his career largely in sales management with both Alcoa and Reynolds Aluminum, and later started his own company in San Francisco as a manufacturer's representative for construction products. Dick was a lover of humanity and his Lord Jesus Christ. His interests included history, literature, art, theater, politics, nature and his fellow man. He valued family, friends, and his faith above all else. Until his last days he stayed engaged in his interests and his pursuit of a better world.

He is survived by his wife Sheila, and children Douglas, Craig, Bruce, Susan and Keith; six grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Carl and Helen Manchester of Hollidaysburg, PA; his brother Thomas of Dallas, and his son Michael of Mauldin, SC.

Rest in Love Dick. Thank you for your service for our country, and may God bless your family and friends as they live their lives without you.