Phantom Blooper
03-04-08, 04:49 AM
Bataan march survivor dies at 90
MOLLY DEWITT ("")
2008-03-04 00:00:00
DAILY NEWS STAFF
<!-- Video goes here -->A piece of history died this weekend.
Thomas A. Craigg Jr., a survivor of the Bataan Death March and three years in Japanese captivity, passed away Sunday at age 90.
"He is a hero to many of us, and he will be really missed," said John Cooney, chief of staff for the Beirut Memorial Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Craigg served 23 years in the Marine Corps, earning three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, which he received in a 2002 ceremony - 60 years after he was taken prisoner by the Japanese.
As a young Marine fighting in the Pacific during World War II, Craigg was taken captive and forced to take part in the grueling 90-mile Bataan Death March where estimates say as many as half of the captives died. According to accounts provided by Craigg and the Marine Corps in 2002 when he received his Silver Star, Craigg and two of his fellow Marines escaped the march by boat to the nearby U.S.-held island of Corregidor and rejoined the fight.
Twenty-eight days later, the U.S. troops there were forced to surrender, and Craigg was taken to a Japanese prison camp.
A shredded flag that flew over the island was taken down by the Marines there before the island fell. Craigg and his fellow POWs concealed the flag, transferring it from person to person at the risk of extreme punishment, during their captivity.
Craigg eventually brought the flag back to the U.S. and presented it to Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
He later spent time with the MOPH speaking to school groups about the flag - using the tattered symbol that comforted and inspired him and the other POWs as a starting point.
"We stress the importance of what the flag means and what it means to veterans. We tell them (his) story. If he is not with us to tell it himself, we will continue to tell that story," Cooney said.
Craigg was also known for his contributions to the military community, particularly through his association with Disabled American Veterans.
"We lost a great, rich piece of history, and I lost a true friend," said Mike Fresia, adjutant of Jacksonville's DAV Chapter 16. "He is one of the founding members of the organization. The office building used to be his house."
Craigg's former backyard is where the DAV meeting building now sits. That building was rededicated the Thomas Craigg Memorial Hall in 2006.
Outside of his military life, Craigg was a devoted family man, according to his son Tommy Craigg III.
"That's the thing that's so interesting about him. He was basically an icon to all these people. But to us he was just Dad. He was a great father figure and I, of course, hope that I could be half the father that he was," Tommy Craigg said. "It was kind of like he had his military family, all the local organizations that he spent a lot of time with and gave a lot of time to, and then he had his real family, and he was just an awesome father. When he was with family, it was all about family."
Those who knew Craigg remember him for his giving ways.
"Tom Craigg is what we all strive to be. He is a caring, giving gentleman," Fresia said. "He didn't have to give anything back after the trials and tribulations he went through for his country ... but he came back and dedicated his life to giving back to veterans. Anyone that works for a service organization should strive to walk in his shoes."
Fred Keegan, a good friend of Craigg's for eight years, said Craigg was more like a brother than a friend.
"Saturday he was in very good spirits," Keegan said. "When I left, I saluted him in the bed, and he returned the salute to me and he winked at me, and I knew then that it was his time to go."
Funeral services for Craigg will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Johnson Funeral Home in Jacksonville with full military honors and Masonic rites. Memorial contributions may be made to the DAV Chapter 16, 300 Sherwood Road, Jacksonville.
Contact Molly DeWitt at 910-353-1171, ext. 8457 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.
MOLLY DEWITT ("")
2008-03-04 00:00:00
DAILY NEWS STAFF
<!-- Video goes here -->A piece of history died this weekend.
Thomas A. Craigg Jr., a survivor of the Bataan Death March and three years in Japanese captivity, passed away Sunday at age 90.
"He is a hero to many of us, and he will be really missed," said John Cooney, chief of staff for the Beirut Memorial Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Craigg served 23 years in the Marine Corps, earning three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, which he received in a 2002 ceremony - 60 years after he was taken prisoner by the Japanese.
As a young Marine fighting in the Pacific during World War II, Craigg was taken captive and forced to take part in the grueling 90-mile Bataan Death March where estimates say as many as half of the captives died. According to accounts provided by Craigg and the Marine Corps in 2002 when he received his Silver Star, Craigg and two of his fellow Marines escaped the march by boat to the nearby U.S.-held island of Corregidor and rejoined the fight.
Twenty-eight days later, the U.S. troops there were forced to surrender, and Craigg was taken to a Japanese prison camp.
A shredded flag that flew over the island was taken down by the Marines there before the island fell. Craigg and his fellow POWs concealed the flag, transferring it from person to person at the risk of extreme punishment, during their captivity.
Craigg eventually brought the flag back to the U.S. and presented it to Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.
He later spent time with the MOPH speaking to school groups about the flag - using the tattered symbol that comforted and inspired him and the other POWs as a starting point.
"We stress the importance of what the flag means and what it means to veterans. We tell them (his) story. If he is not with us to tell it himself, we will continue to tell that story," Cooney said.
Craigg was also known for his contributions to the military community, particularly through his association with Disabled American Veterans.
"We lost a great, rich piece of history, and I lost a true friend," said Mike Fresia, adjutant of Jacksonville's DAV Chapter 16. "He is one of the founding members of the organization. The office building used to be his house."
Craigg's former backyard is where the DAV meeting building now sits. That building was rededicated the Thomas Craigg Memorial Hall in 2006.
Outside of his military life, Craigg was a devoted family man, according to his son Tommy Craigg III.
"That's the thing that's so interesting about him. He was basically an icon to all these people. But to us he was just Dad. He was a great father figure and I, of course, hope that I could be half the father that he was," Tommy Craigg said. "It was kind of like he had his military family, all the local organizations that he spent a lot of time with and gave a lot of time to, and then he had his real family, and he was just an awesome father. When he was with family, it was all about family."
Those who knew Craigg remember him for his giving ways.
"Tom Craigg is what we all strive to be. He is a caring, giving gentleman," Fresia said. "He didn't have to give anything back after the trials and tribulations he went through for his country ... but he came back and dedicated his life to giving back to veterans. Anyone that works for a service organization should strive to walk in his shoes."
Fred Keegan, a good friend of Craigg's for eight years, said Craigg was more like a brother than a friend.
"Saturday he was in very good spirits," Keegan said. "When I left, I saluted him in the bed, and he returned the salute to me and he winked at me, and I knew then that it was his time to go."
Funeral services for Craigg will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Johnson Funeral Home in Jacksonville with full military honors and Masonic rites. Memorial contributions may be made to the DAV Chapter 16, 300 Sherwood Road, Jacksonville.
Contact Molly DeWitt at 910-353-1171, ext. 8457 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.