POW museum marks 80th anniversary of World War II battle | News, Sports, Jobs
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A Secret TO BE SOLVED — The spouse and children of Dr. Charles Osborne, a captain in the Military Professional medical Corps, has donated to the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum in Wellsburg things that belonged to him prior to he was declared lacking in motion even though serving in the South Pacific through Globe War II. With a screen containing photos of him, letters he wrote to his loved ones and his cigarette lighter are, from still left, John, his grandson Mary Osborne Kizer, his granddaughter and Lance Kizer, her spouse and Jim Brockman, the museum’s director. — Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — The bravery and willpower of 1000’s of American and Filippino troops battling Japanese invaders was remembered Saturday while a thriller was offered with the addition to a new show at the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum and Schooling Heart.
Jim Brockman, the museum’s director, noted Friday marked the 80th anniversary of the last battle by 1000’s of Allied troops from Japanese invaders of the Philippine Islands.
He linked how Army Major Gen. Jonathan Wainwright surrendered Corregidor and Bataan to Japanese forces pursuing months of struggle in which Allied troops dealt with a lack of reinforcements, food items and supplies and had been struggling with exhaustion, starvation and sickness.
Brockman stated though he experienced secured Japanese occupation of the islands in 5 months, Japanese Gen. Masaharu Homa was relieved of his command simply because he had been expected to carry out the process in two months.
He famous tens of thousands of Allied survivors had been escorted as a result of subtropical warmth, with very little meals or h2o, on a trek of at the very least 60 miles that came to be acknowledged as the Bataan Loss of life March mainly because of the quite a few who succumbed to its situations or were killed by their captors.
Brockman said several were being transported to prisoner of war camps, where they were employed as slave labor for the war effort and hard work, by freighters that came to be identified as Hell ships for the reason that of their crowded holds and inhumane situations.
He claimed Dr. Charles Osborne, a captain in the Military Professional medical Corps, is considered to have been amongst POWs on a Hell ship torpedoed by two Allied submarines on Oct. 24, 1944.
He mentioned the Japanese unsuccessful to mark vessels carrying POWs, so it was not strange for them to be focused by Allied forces.
Brockman claimed just 9 of an estimated 1,774 POWs aboard had been ready to escape on a daily life raft and 5 of them had been afterwards recaptured by the Japanese.
Readers to the museum were being invited to see a exhibit with a image of Osborne, letters sent to his spouse and children all through his provider, a posthumously awarded Purple Coronary heart and a cigarette lighter he utilized.
On hand ended up Osborne’s grandchildren, John and Mary Kizer and Mary’s spouse, Lance, who has been trying to find data about her grandfather.
Lance stated Charles Osborne was known to share his lighter with others and had “Stolen from Dr. Charles E. Osborne MD” inscribed on it to inspire its return.
He mentioned soon after Charles was declared lacking in motion, the lighter was returned to his family just after getting identified on the physique of a Japanese casualty.
Lance mentioned very little is known about Charles’ navy provider. He said Osborne was a 40-calendar year-aged nation medical professional, the variety regarded for making home phone calls, with a spouse and two young children when he enlisted soon in advance of America’s entry into the war.
Lance stated Charles experienced reasoned that lots of youthful males would need his products and services as the war progressed.
Lance claimed he learned of the museum via the Web and he and other household members felt it would be a excellent way to maintain Charles’ memory.
Also extra to the museum Saturday had been photos, military services manuals and a Naval cap belonging to Paul Cunningham, who served aboard USS Downes during the Fight of Leyte, by way of which Allied Forces reclaimed the Philippine Islands, as a result of a combination of air strikes and amphibious assaults, in 1944.
Cunningham’s daughters, Diane Cunningham Lamb and Susan, mentioned their father, who came from the former local community of Electrical power close to Beech Bottom, enlisted at age 17 just after his mom delivered the needed penned consent.
For his services, Cunningham obtained the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a person bronze star, American Space Campaign Ribbon, Globe War II Victory Ribbon and Asiatic-Pacific Location Campaign Ribbon.
Brockman mentioned the USS Downes experienced been harmed in the bombing of Pearl Harbor but was rebuilt to serve the war energy.
The anniversary observance integrated a limited parade to the Wellsburg Elks Lodge, where by lunch was served and attendees ended up entertained by Filippino folk dancers.
Positioned in the Brooke County General public Library, the ADBC Museum and Instruction Center grew from an exbibit created by the late Ed Jackfert and his wife, Henrietta.
Also a POW however not a participant of the Bataan Demise March, Jackfert wanted to elevate recognition of an frequently disregarded part of Earth War II.
Given that it opened, the museum has been visited by Japanese college students wanting to discover additional about the POWs’ knowledge and official apologies have been issued by the Japanese authorities and Mitsubishi Elements Co., which used POW labor in creating munitions.
The Japanese corporation also donated $50,000 to the museum.










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