thedrifter
09-20-05, 06:35 AM
Ceremony honors the missing, captured
September 20,2005
BY CYNDI BROWN View stories by reporter
DAILY NEWS STAFF
They've been called the "Ghosts of Bataan," Tom Craigg's fellow Americans held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.
"We were on death row there," said Craigg, who lost 90 pounds over the 40 months he was a POW. "We was nothing but a bunch of skeletons.
"I couldn't have made it much longer."
Craigg, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, was the guest speaker at a ceremony at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9133 home Saturday, National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The post has hosted the ceremony since 1983.
"This is our designated holiday," said Vernon Weedon Sr., the events emcee. "The VFW is always primarily concerned with POW/MIAs. We hold this honor."
Members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Legion and Non-Commissioned Officers Association posted their organizational colors to mark the day with the VFW members. However, not many others outside of those groups did.
Weedon said he wasn't sure the public was aware of the nationally-recognized day. Paul Siverson, however, thinks they're too busy to take the time and remember.
"I just don't think the younger generation is as interested in celebrating. We can't get the younger veterans involved. I just don't think they have the same interest we do," said Siverson, a retired sergeant major who joined the VFW because his dad was a member.
"I think we've lost that continuity," he said. "We try hard to get them involved. We talk to them, invite them to come. We just can't seem to hold them."
Weedon interrupted Siverson to ask if he thought maybe they were the same way in their youth.
"Did we?" asked Weedon, noting that world and national events have taken precedence.
"The military's over tasked. We hate to task them more," said Weedon. "A young Marine doesn't have time to breathe, same with the soldiers and National Guard."
Post Commander Robert Kimbrough hoped that at least those in attendance would recognize their comrades who still have not returned home and the families who still wait for them.
"We want people to take away and let them know there are still men and women missing," said Kimbrough. "We want to make people aware there are people still missing in action and they're still finding them."
Craigg, who was held prisoner for 40 months, knows how difficult that task of finding them might be.
Part of the Americans' work detail included sorting the bodies. Japanese nationals went in one pile, Americans the other. The Japanese cut a fingertip off their comrades to be sent back to Japan for identification. The Americans were just cremated.
Craigg was taken prisoner when the troops at Bataan surrendered April 9, 1942. However, conditions before that were already bleak.
When the troops were earlier ordered to evacuate, they left their medical supplies and food behind. The food they carried went quickly.
"Here we are, we're on one ration a day," said Craigg, noting that ration was about a coffee cup full of rice, "and that was it, ladies and gentlemen, that's what we were fighting on."
They started killing the horses and using them to make soup. Then the pack mules.
"When the pack mules were gone, the pack mules were gone," said Craigg.
Next it was monkeys, tropical birds, stray dogs.
"They was all turned in and made into soup," remembered Craigg, noting that by the time of capture, many of the men were already suffering from malaria, beri beri and dysentery.
But the harsh conditions turned desperate once they were in Japanese hands.
"We were getting beat up all the time for nothing," said Craigg, who was convinced that they would all be killed. So he and two fellow Marines took advantage of confusion during the notorious Bataan Death March.
"We decided that was the time to get the hell out of there," said Craigg.
They made their way to a fishing village and commandeered a boat ("took it, confiscated it, stole it, whatever you want to say we done," said Craigg) and made their way to Corregidor where they fought until May 6, 1942 when they surrendered again.
"We were captured on Bataan and captured again in Corregidor," said Craigg, who after being freed in September of 1945 and recuperating from his injuries went back on active duty and later fought in the Korean War. He retired as a gunnery sergeant in 1963.
"The greatest honor I ever had in my life," said Craigg, "was serving my country with the United States Marine Corps."
Ellie
September 20,2005
BY CYNDI BROWN View stories by reporter
DAILY NEWS STAFF
They've been called the "Ghosts of Bataan," Tom Craigg's fellow Americans held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II.
"We were on death row there," said Craigg, who lost 90 pounds over the 40 months he was a POW. "We was nothing but a bunch of skeletons.
"I couldn't have made it much longer."
Craigg, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, was the guest speaker at a ceremony at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9133 home Saturday, National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The post has hosted the ceremony since 1983.
"This is our designated holiday," said Vernon Weedon Sr., the events emcee. "The VFW is always primarily concerned with POW/MIAs. We hold this honor."
Members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Legion and Non-Commissioned Officers Association posted their organizational colors to mark the day with the VFW members. However, not many others outside of those groups did.
Weedon said he wasn't sure the public was aware of the nationally-recognized day. Paul Siverson, however, thinks they're too busy to take the time and remember.
"I just don't think the younger generation is as interested in celebrating. We can't get the younger veterans involved. I just don't think they have the same interest we do," said Siverson, a retired sergeant major who joined the VFW because his dad was a member.
"I think we've lost that continuity," he said. "We try hard to get them involved. We talk to them, invite them to come. We just can't seem to hold them."
Weedon interrupted Siverson to ask if he thought maybe they were the same way in their youth.
"Did we?" asked Weedon, noting that world and national events have taken precedence.
"The military's over tasked. We hate to task them more," said Weedon. "A young Marine doesn't have time to breathe, same with the soldiers and National Guard."
Post Commander Robert Kimbrough hoped that at least those in attendance would recognize their comrades who still have not returned home and the families who still wait for them.
"We want people to take away and let them know there are still men and women missing," said Kimbrough. "We want to make people aware there are people still missing in action and they're still finding them."
Craigg, who was held prisoner for 40 months, knows how difficult that task of finding them might be.
Part of the Americans' work detail included sorting the bodies. Japanese nationals went in one pile, Americans the other. The Japanese cut a fingertip off their comrades to be sent back to Japan for identification. The Americans were just cremated.
Craigg was taken prisoner when the troops at Bataan surrendered April 9, 1942. However, conditions before that were already bleak.
When the troops were earlier ordered to evacuate, they left their medical supplies and food behind. The food they carried went quickly.
"Here we are, we're on one ration a day," said Craigg, noting that ration was about a coffee cup full of rice, "and that was it, ladies and gentlemen, that's what we were fighting on."
They started killing the horses and using them to make soup. Then the pack mules.
"When the pack mules were gone, the pack mules were gone," said Craigg.
Next it was monkeys, tropical birds, stray dogs.
"They was all turned in and made into soup," remembered Craigg, noting that by the time of capture, many of the men were already suffering from malaria, beri beri and dysentery.
But the harsh conditions turned desperate once they were in Japanese hands.
"We were getting beat up all the time for nothing," said Craigg, who was convinced that they would all be killed. So he and two fellow Marines took advantage of confusion during the notorious Bataan Death March.
"We decided that was the time to get the hell out of there," said Craigg.
They made their way to a fishing village and commandeered a boat ("took it, confiscated it, stole it, whatever you want to say we done," said Craigg) and made their way to Corregidor where they fought until May 6, 1942 when they surrendered again.
"We were captured on Bataan and captured again in Corregidor," said Craigg, who after being freed in September of 1945 and recuperating from his injuries went back on active duty and later fought in the Korean War. He retired as a gunnery sergeant in 1963.
"The greatest honor I ever had in my life," said Craigg, "was serving my country with the United States Marine Corps."
Ellie