Gordon R. Harrison
Service # 14037641
Rank: Private, U.S. Army Air Corps
Unit: 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Bomber Command
Entered Service From: North Carolina
Date of Death: 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria in the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Status: Officially listed as missing in action. Most likely buried as an "unknown" in the Manila American Cemetery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1930 United States Federal Census (02 April 1930): Harnett Township, New Hanover County, North Carolina (sheet 1B, family 30) – Gordon R. Harrison (8 North Carolina).
May 1938
Gordon Rhodes Harrison, now residing at Salemburg, North Carolina.
1940 United States Federal Census (08 April 1940): Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina (sheet 8A, household 165, 209 East Caswell) – Gordon R. Harrison (18 North Carolina, salesman, drug store). He was living with his Rhodes grandparents. Gordon had lived at Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina in 1935.
Gordon R. Harrison (1921 North Carolina), a resident of Lenoir, North Carolina, enlisted as a Private (S/N 14037641) in the U.S. Army Ordnance Department on 01 February 1941 at Charlotte, North Carolina. He was single, had completed 4 years of high school and had been employed as a "Clerks, general office."
The Army headquarters here (Charlotte, North Carolina) enlisted the following men: ... Gordon R. Harrison, of Kingston ... Source: The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina), Sunday, 09 February 1941, page 2.
Private Harrison was assigned to the 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Corp. With the possibility of war looming on the horizon, they was sent to the Philippine Islands. The 454 Ordnance Company left San Francisco, California on 01 November 1941 aboard the President Coolidge (passenger ship turned troop transport). On board with the 454 Ordnance were the squadrons of the 27th Bombardment Group; the 16th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Squadron, Headquarters Squadron and the 48th Material Squadron, plus a chemical detachment. Also on board were the following units: 5th Air Base Group and the 1st and 34th Pursuit Squadrons. The Coolidge arrived in Manila on 20 November (via Hawaii and Guam). "The men were disembarked off the Coolidge as a Philippine military band played patriotic music. Trucks were lined up waiting to transport the men to Fort McKinley. The Coolidge was the last desperately needed reinforcement for General McArthur."
The 454 Ordnance Company numbered six officers and 180 enlisted men. Just three weeks later war came to the Philippines on 08 December 1941. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered their withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force.
The 454th assisted in the evacuation of Clark Field to Bataan Field and then were stationed at Mariveles Field on the western tip of Bataan. On January 9th, the battle for Bataan began. With no planes, they took care of artillery ordnance, 155 projectiles and propellants, and 75mm and 37mm and machine gun ammunition and spare parts for all the guns. They loaded bombs and ammunition and send it to the front line. The men were also issued .45's pistols and .30 caliber M1 rifles and given responsibility for part of the beach defenses on Bataan. They were never in the actual fighting.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of April 8, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. The men of the 17th were told to report to Mariveles, Bataan and turn in their weapons. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 17th Pursuit Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Private Gordon R. Harrison, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Surviving the brutal treatment by the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell (about 1500 American and 22,000 Filipino prisoners of war died in just three months), Private Harrison was transferred to the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, approximately 8 kilometers west of the town by the same name.
In early June of 1942, prisoners from Camp O'Donnell began to stream into Camp No. 1, joining the men from Corregidor and increasing the number of prisoners to over 7,300 men. Because of the poor health of the men from O'Donnell, the death rate at Camp #1 soared.
Private Gordon R. Harrison (S/N 14037641), age 20, Ordnance, died at 8:00 a.m. on 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria, in Barracks 6, Hospital Area, a prisoner of the Japanese at POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121. His death was recorded on a condensed milk can label. Gordon had no belongings. He was one of 22 men to die that day, the 975th prisoner to die in about a month. In all 786 men died in Cabanatuan during the month of July, 1942. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, 2,764 Americans had died at Cabanatuan in 2½ years. 90% of the POW deaths in Cabanatuan were men who were captured on Bataan. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs who died that day.
After the war, all the remains in the Cabanatuan Prison cemetery that could be found were disinterred (between December 1945 - February 1946) and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948 for positive identification. Unfortunately, no clothing, personal effects nor any other means of identification were found for him and his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan. He is most likely buried in the Manila American Cemetery as a "Known but to God". There are 953 men like Private Harrison who were not identified after the war, "unknowns", permanently interred in the Manila American Cemetery from Cabanatuan.
"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD"
Private Gordon Rhodes Harrison is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing - United States Army and Army Air Forces at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Service # 14037641
Rank: Private, U.S. Army Air Corps
Unit: 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Bomber Command
Entered Service From: North Carolina
Date of Death: 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria in the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Status: Officially listed as missing in action. Most likely buried as an "unknown" in the Manila American Cemetery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1930 United States Federal Census (02 April 1930): Harnett Township, New Hanover County, North Carolina (sheet 1B, family 30) – Gordon R. Harrison (8 North Carolina).
May 1938
Gordon Rhodes Harrison, now residing at Salemburg, North Carolina.
1940 United States Federal Census (08 April 1940): Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina (sheet 8A, household 165, 209 East Caswell) – Gordon R. Harrison (18 North Carolina, salesman, drug store). He was living with his Rhodes grandparents. Gordon had lived at Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina in 1935.
Gordon R. Harrison (1921 North Carolina), a resident of Lenoir, North Carolina, enlisted as a Private (S/N 14037641) in the U.S. Army Ordnance Department on 01 February 1941 at Charlotte, North Carolina. He was single, had completed 4 years of high school and had been employed as a "Clerks, general office."
The Army headquarters here (Charlotte, North Carolina) enlisted the following men: ... Gordon R. Harrison, of Kingston ... Source: The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina), Sunday, 09 February 1941, page 2.
Private Harrison was assigned to the 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Corp. With the possibility of war looming on the horizon, they was sent to the Philippine Islands. The 454 Ordnance Company left San Francisco, California on 01 November 1941 aboard the President Coolidge (passenger ship turned troop transport). On board with the 454 Ordnance were the squadrons of the 27th Bombardment Group; the 16th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Squadron, Headquarters Squadron and the 48th Material Squadron, plus a chemical detachment. Also on board were the following units: 5th Air Base Group and the 1st and 34th Pursuit Squadrons. The Coolidge arrived in Manila on 20 November (via Hawaii and Guam). "The men were disembarked off the Coolidge as a Philippine military band played patriotic music. Trucks were lined up waiting to transport the men to Fort McKinley. The Coolidge was the last desperately needed reinforcement for General McArthur."
The 454 Ordnance Company numbered six officers and 180 enlisted men. Just three weeks later war came to the Philippines on 08 December 1941. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered their withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force.
The 454th assisted in the evacuation of Clark Field to Bataan Field and then were stationed at Mariveles Field on the western tip of Bataan. On January 9th, the battle for Bataan began. With no planes, they took care of artillery ordnance, 155 projectiles and propellants, and 75mm and 37mm and machine gun ammunition and spare parts for all the guns. They loaded bombs and ammunition and send it to the front line. The men were also issued .45's pistols and .30 caliber M1 rifles and given responsibility for part of the beach defenses on Bataan. They were never in the actual fighting.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of April 8, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. The men of the 17th were told to report to Mariveles, Bataan and turn in their weapons. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 17th Pursuit Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Private Gordon R. Harrison, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Surviving the brutal treatment by the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell (about 1500 American and 22,000 Filipino prisoners of war died in just three months), Private Harrison was transferred to the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, approximately 8 kilometers west of the town by the same name.
In early June of 1942, prisoners from Camp O'Donnell began to stream into Camp No. 1, joining the men from Corregidor and increasing the number of prisoners to over 7,300 men. Because of the poor health of the men from O'Donnell, the death rate at Camp #1 soared.
Private Gordon R. Harrison (S/N 14037641), age 20, Ordnance, died at 8:00 a.m. on 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria, in Barracks 6, Hospital Area, a prisoner of the Japanese at POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121. His death was recorded on a condensed milk can label. Gordon had no belongings. He was one of 22 men to die that day, the 975th prisoner to die in about a month. In all 786 men died in Cabanatuan during the month of July, 1942. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, 2,764 Americans had died at Cabanatuan in 2½ years. 90% of the POW deaths in Cabanatuan were men who were captured on Bataan. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs who died that day.
After the war, all the remains in the Cabanatuan Prison cemetery that could be found were disinterred (between December 1945 - February 1946) and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948 for positive identification. Unfortunately, no clothing, personal effects nor any other means of identification were found for him and his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan. He is most likely buried in the Manila American Cemetery as a "Known but to God". There are 953 men like Private Harrison who were not identified after the war, "unknowns", permanently interred in the Manila American Cemetery from Cabanatuan.
"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD"
Private Gordon Rhodes Harrison is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing - United States Army and Army Air Forces at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Gordon R. Harrison
Service # 14037641
Rank: Private, U.S. Army Air Corps
Unit: 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Bomber Command
Entered Service From: North Carolina
Date of Death: 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria in the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Status: Officially listed as missing in action. Most likely buried as an "unknown" in the Manila American Cemetery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1930 United States Federal Census (02 April 1930): Harnett Township, New Hanover County, North Carolina (sheet 1B, family 30) – Gordon R. Harrison (8 North Carolina).
May 1938
Gordon Rhodes Harrison, now residing at Salemburg, North Carolina.
1940 United States Federal Census (08 April 1940): Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina (sheet 8A, household 165, 209 East Caswell) – Gordon R. Harrison (18 North Carolina, salesman, drug store). He was living with his Rhodes grandparents. Gordon had lived at Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina in 1935.
Gordon R. Harrison (1921 North Carolina), a resident of Lenoir, North Carolina, enlisted as a Private (S/N 14037641) in the U.S. Army Ordnance Department on 01 February 1941 at Charlotte, North Carolina. He was single, had completed 4 years of high school and had been employed as a "Clerks, general office."
The Army headquarters here (Charlotte, North Carolina) enlisted the following men: ... Gordon R. Harrison, of Kingston ... Source: The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina), Sunday, 09 February 1941, page 2.
Private Harrison was assigned to the 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Corp. With the possibility of war looming on the horizon, they was sent to the Philippine Islands. The 454 Ordnance Company left San Francisco, California on 01 November 1941 aboard the President Coolidge (passenger ship turned troop transport). On board with the 454 Ordnance were the squadrons of the 27th Bombardment Group; the 16th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Squadron, Headquarters Squadron and the 48th Material Squadron, plus a chemical detachment. Also on board were the following units: 5th Air Base Group and the 1st and 34th Pursuit Squadrons. The Coolidge arrived in Manila on 20 November (via Hawaii and Guam). "The men were disembarked off the Coolidge as a Philippine military band played patriotic music. Trucks were lined up waiting to transport the men to Fort McKinley. The Coolidge was the last desperately needed reinforcement for General McArthur."
The 454 Ordnance Company numbered six officers and 180 enlisted men. Just three weeks later war came to the Philippines on 08 December 1941. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered their withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force.
The 454th assisted in the evacuation of Clark Field to Bataan Field and then were stationed at Mariveles Field on the western tip of Bataan. On January 9th, the battle for Bataan began. With no planes, they took care of artillery ordnance, 155 projectiles and propellants, and 75mm and 37mm and machine gun ammunition and spare parts for all the guns. They loaded bombs and ammunition and send it to the front line. The men were also issued .45's pistols and .30 caliber M1 rifles and given responsibility for part of the beach defenses on Bataan. They were never in the actual fighting.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of April 8, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. The men of the 17th were told to report to Mariveles, Bataan and turn in their weapons. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 17th Pursuit Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Private Gordon R. Harrison, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Surviving the brutal treatment by the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell (about 1500 American and 22,000 Filipino prisoners of war died in just three months), Private Harrison was transferred to the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, approximately 8 kilometers west of the town by the same name.
In early June of 1942, prisoners from Camp O'Donnell began to stream into Camp No. 1, joining the men from Corregidor and increasing the number of prisoners to over 7,300 men. Because of the poor health of the men from O'Donnell, the death rate at Camp #1 soared.
Private Gordon R. Harrison (S/N 14037641), age 20, Ordnance, died at 8:00 a.m. on 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria, in Barracks 6, Hospital Area, a prisoner of the Japanese at POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121. His death was recorded on a condensed milk can label. Gordon had no belongings. He was one of 22 men to die that day, the 975th prisoner to die in about a month. In all 786 men died in Cabanatuan during the month of July, 1942. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, 2,764 Americans had died at Cabanatuan in 2½ years. 90% of the POW deaths in Cabanatuan were men who were captured on Bataan. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs who died that day.
After the war, all the remains in the Cabanatuan Prison cemetery that could be found were disinterred (between December 1945 - February 1946) and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948 for positive identification. Unfortunately, no clothing, personal effects nor any other means of identification were found for him and his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan. He is most likely buried in the Manila American Cemetery as a "Known but to God". There are 953 men like Private Harrison who were not identified after the war, "unknowns", permanently interred in the Manila American Cemetery from Cabanatuan.
"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD"
Private Gordon Rhodes Harrison is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing - United States Army and Army Air Forces at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Service # 14037641
Rank: Private, U.S. Army Air Corps
Unit: 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, 27th Bombardment Group (Light), V Bomber Command
Entered Service From: North Carolina
Date of Death: 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria in the Japanese POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121.
Status: Officially listed as missing in action. Most likely buried as an "unknown" in the Manila American Cemetery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1930 United States Federal Census (02 April 1930): Harnett Township, New Hanover County, North Carolina (sheet 1B, family 30) – Gordon R. Harrison (8 North Carolina).
May 1938
Gordon Rhodes Harrison, now residing at Salemburg, North Carolina.
1940 United States Federal Census (08 April 1940): Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina (sheet 8A, household 165, 209 East Caswell) – Gordon R. Harrison (18 North Carolina, salesman, drug store). He was living with his Rhodes grandparents. Gordon had lived at Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina in 1935.
Gordon R. Harrison (1921 North Carolina), a resident of Lenoir, North Carolina, enlisted as a Private (S/N 14037641) in the U.S. Army Ordnance Department on 01 February 1941 at Charlotte, North Carolina. He was single, had completed 4 years of high school and had been employed as a "Clerks, general office."
The Army headquarters here (Charlotte, North Carolina) enlisted the following men: ... Gordon R. Harrison, of Kingston ... Source: The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina), Sunday, 09 February 1941, page 2.
Private Harrison was assigned to the 454th Ordnance Company, Aviation, U.S. Army Air Corp. With the possibility of war looming on the horizon, they was sent to the Philippine Islands. The 454 Ordnance Company left San Francisco, California on 01 November 1941 aboard the President Coolidge (passenger ship turned troop transport). On board with the 454 Ordnance were the squadrons of the 27th Bombardment Group; the 16th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Squadron, Headquarters Squadron and the 48th Material Squadron, plus a chemical detachment. Also on board were the following units: 5th Air Base Group and the 1st and 34th Pursuit Squadrons. The Coolidge arrived in Manila on 20 November (via Hawaii and Guam). "The men were disembarked off the Coolidge as a Philippine military band played patriotic music. Trucks were lined up waiting to transport the men to Fort McKinley. The Coolidge was the last desperately needed reinforcement for General McArthur."
The 454 Ordnance Company numbered six officers and 180 enlisted men. Just three weeks later war came to the Philippines on 08 December 1941. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered their withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force.
The 454th assisted in the evacuation of Clark Field to Bataan Field and then were stationed at Mariveles Field on the western tip of Bataan. On January 9th, the battle for Bataan began. With no planes, they took care of artillery ordnance, 155 projectiles and propellants, and 75mm and 37mm and machine gun ammunition and spare parts for all the guns. They loaded bombs and ammunition and send it to the front line. The men were also issued .45's pistols and .30 caliber M1 rifles and given responsibility for part of the beach defenses on Bataan. They were never in the actual fighting.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of April 8, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. The men of the 17th were told to report to Mariveles, Bataan and turn in their weapons. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 17th Pursuit Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Private Gordon R. Harrison, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Surviving the brutal treatment by the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell (about 1500 American and 22,000 Filipino prisoners of war died in just three months), Private Harrison was transferred to the Cabanatuan POW Camp No. 1, approximately 8 kilometers west of the town by the same name.
In early June of 1942, prisoners from Camp O'Donnell began to stream into Camp No. 1, joining the men from Corregidor and increasing the number of prisoners to over 7,300 men. Because of the poor health of the men from O'Donnell, the death rate at Camp #1 soared.
Private Gordon R. Harrison (S/N 14037641), age 20, Ordnance, died at 8:00 a.m. on 18 July 1942, of dysentery and malaria, in Barracks 6, Hospital Area, a prisoner of the Japanese at POW Camp 1, Cabanatuan, Nueva Province, Luzon, Philippines 15-121. His death was recorded on a condensed milk can label. Gordon had no belongings. He was one of 22 men to die that day, the 975th prisoner to die in about a month. In all 786 men died in Cabanatuan during the month of July, 1942. By the time the camp was liberated in early 1945, 2,764 Americans had died at Cabanatuan in 2½ years. 90% of the POW deaths in Cabanatuan were men who were captured on Bataan. He was buried in a communal grave in the camp cemetery along with other deceased American POWs who died that day.
After the war, all the remains in the Cabanatuan Prison cemetery that could be found were disinterred (between December 1945 - February 1946) and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. The deceased in Manila #2 (over 11,000 American soldiers) rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948 for positive identification. Unfortunately, no clothing, personal effects nor any other means of identification were found for him and his remains could not be associated with any remains recovered from Cabanatuan. He is most likely buried in the Manila American Cemetery as a "Known but to God". There are 953 men like Private Harrison who were not identified after the war, "unknowns", permanently interred in the Manila American Cemetery from Cabanatuan.
"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD"
Private Gordon Rhodes Harrison is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing - United States Army and Army Air Forces at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
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Entered the service from North Carolina
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