TheAGOM.org
We are in the process of deveoping a web site to provide a means to put
out information on those veterans of the Phillipine campaign of World War
II, and in particular those that fought on the island of Mindanao. This site
will also be used as a platform news of AGOM events as well as an electronic
archive of photos, documents and written histories of the experiences of
those veterens.
If you have documents, photos, or any other anything perinent
to this effort please send a copy to me at America1@AmericanGuerrillasofMindanao.org
or
you can mail items to me at: Mark Chapman,
2490 Valley Road, Navarre, FL 32566. Documents will be returned to sender
if requested.
Mark D. Chapman
Webmaster
February/March 2008 Newsletter
We begin this newsletter with news that the AGOM website is off to a great start - thanks to our webmaster Mark Chapman. Log on to AmericanGuerrillasofMindanao.org (or simply TheAgom.org) and see for yourselves. Help us achieve our goal of centralizing and preserving historical records, documents, photos and personal histories of AGOM members and making that information accessible to their families and friends (as well as history buffs and scholars) on the website. Organize your historical information and send it to Mark Chapman at America1@AmericanGuerrillasofMindanao.or 2490 Valley Rd., Navarre FL 32566. Documents or photos will be returned if requested by the sender. Also note the suggested format at the end of this newsletter for providing us with information regarding descendants (or other family members) - make copies and send in as many as necessary
The other exciting news item is that David G. Evans, son of AGOMer James L “Doc” Evans, is now our Vice-President/Treasurer. David's legal experience and expertise will be invaluable in this project. David will also; be the steward of the AGOM treasury! Ben Farrens, outgoing Secretary/Treasurer, passed on to us the amount of $1540, which has been deposited into the newly established American Guerrillas of Mindanao bank account. With the addition of donations from Larry Schmidt and Ginger Holmes, the total is $1670; however, there are still outstanding payables for expenses relating to the last two newsletters as well as this current one (copying and postage costs are approximately $200 for each newsletter). For those of you with an E-mail address, PLEASE provide it so we can send future newsletters as E-mail attachments.
During the holiday season it was gratifying to receive greetings from AGOMers.
— Luke and Fran Campeau mentioned doing a lot of "doctoring" during the year but are planning to travel to the reunion in Louisville.
— Gerry and Kay Chapman did some traveling in 2007, the highlight being a two-week river cruise "Romance of the Rhine and Mosel" putting into ports in Holland, Germany, France and Switzerland. They plan to attend the reunion in Louisville.
— Ben and Juanita Farrens sent greetings from the whole family. Ben also included a picture from the last reunion, a cute joke (of course!) and the AGOM funds. Ben hopes to travel to Louisville for the reunion.
— Russell Smith also sent a nice note saying he appreciated the newsletter.
— Bob and Lucy Speilman and their daughter Marge sent Christmas and new year's greetings.
— Johnny Starkey reminisced about the events of early December 1942, still fresh in his memory after all these years. He is undergoing treatment for heart and lung problems, but stays busy and active with the help of his wife Peggy. They are PBS and NPR fans but also listen to a local radio station that gives away a turkey in a draw at Thanksgiving - and they have won he turkey four out of the last five years!
— Loyd and Bernadine Waters included a prayer and some words of wisdom with their greeting.
— Mrs. Clyde C. (Dee) Childress also sent greetings, mentioning how much she misses Clyde, who passed away last August (his obituary was in the October newsletter). Her new address is 2001 W Rudasill Rd. #9208, Tucson AZ 85704-7852, telephone 570-293-1421.
— Mary Lou Schoen related how her life changed after Jim's death in late 2002, followed by the death of her oldest daughter less than two years later. After going through a rough period she is now settled near her youngest daughter and grandchildren and is grateful for health, family and friends. Mary Lou keeps in touch by phone with Christine Mitsos and Loyd and Bernie Waters. Mary Lou's correct address is 190 E. Jeffrey Pine Ln., Coeur d'Alene ID 83815, telephone 208-664-2902, E-mail mlschoen@verizon.net.
— Ruth Stahl keeps busy with volunteer activities in Baltimore and is looking forward to the reunion in Louisville (especially the river cruiser.
Kent Holmes contributed the following report on the MacArthur Museum in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
During our October 2007 visit to Australia we spent several days in Brisbane. While we had not seen any tourist information on MacArthur's time in Australia, we were certain that some museum or archive must exist there to commemorate General MacArthur's World War II presence in this country down under. As most of you will recall, MacArthur, his wife, child, and members of his staff were evacuated from Corregidor by PT boat to Mindanao. From there they were transported by B-17 to northern Australia and thence by rail from Alice Springs to Melbourne in the state of Victoria. Since most U.S. military personnel and equipment destined for the Philippines in December 1941 had been diverted to Brisbane, MacArthur traveled by rail to that city to set up his headquarters. When possible, MacArthur preferred to travel by rail rather than aircraft.
On the first day of our visit to Brisbane, I asked our tour guide about any museum that might depict MacArthur's presence in Brisbane during the war years. He indicated that there was indeed such a museum near the general post office in the center of the city. The next day we set off early in search of the museum. Actually we had passed the building housing it the day before but had failed to see the small sign about the museum.
The museum is housed on the eighth floor the Australasian Mutual Provident Society (AMP) building on Edward Street, in the heart of the financial and shopping district of Brisbane. Open only three days a week, we were fortunate to have picked a day that it was operating. The eighth floor of the building, which historically included the general's personal offices, has been heritage-recognized and now is opened to the visiting public under the auspices of its owner, the Brisbane City Council, and the stewardship of the MacArthur Museum Brisbane.
MacArthur's personal office during the war has been replicated by the museum which has a director and full-time staff. World War II Australian veterans function as volunteer docents and explain the various exhibits. An informative15-minute video presentation is available for viewing.
The construction of the AMP building had just been completed when the war came to the Pacific. It had its own telephone exchange and pneumatic message transfer tubes. Moreover the AMP building was attractive to MacArthur’s staff because of its “state of the art” construction which would give added protection should it be bombed by the Japanese. Shortly after MacArthur's arrival it was requisitioned by the Australian Government to house both Australian and American military staffs. The building became the home to the newly created Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Pacific area.
The collection of photographs and exhibits within the museum is excellent. They are a strong reminder of how big the American presence was in that city. An analogy could be made between Brisbane and the UK prior to the run-up to the D-Day landings in Normandy. While Brisbane would have been dwarfed by the equipment and materiel staged for Normandy, it was nonetheless a major staging area for the war in the Pacific. In addition to storage, it had capacity to ready and repair U.S. military equipment for the Southwest Pacific. For example, Allison airplane engines were repaired at the General Motors Holden facility in Brisbane. Throughout the countryside surrounding Brisbane supply depots and repair shops were established to support the U.S. military war effort. In one sense the U.S. presence in this small coastal city became almost overwhelming.
One of the interesting exhibits is the Japanese military maps of North Australia and Queensland. They identify and pinpoint cattle and sheep stations (many with private landing strips), in the outback that could be used to support a Japanese invasion. This would suggest that in the early years of the war Japanese designs and intentions toward Australia were very real. Also on display were samples of Japanese Government-issued Australian currency with denominations in pounds, shillings, pence, etc. - all paper currency due to the shortage of metal. One significant item in MacArthur's recreated office is a photograph of the General meeting with three U.S. officers. The officers depicted in the photograph were Captain William A. Dyess, Lt. Commander Melvyn H. McCoy and Major Stephen Mellnik - three of the ten escapees from the Davao Penal Colony in April 1943. However, there was no mention of their being former POWs - they were simply identified as “visiting officers.” I asked the director of the museum about this and he replied that the picture and caption were received from the MacArthur Museum in Norfolk. It is hoped that the vague caption on the officers can be rectified.
We now turn our attention to the upcoming AGOM annual reunion to be held in conjunction with the ADBC convention May 6-10 in Louisville, KY. Wednesday, May 7 will be a big day, including a river cruise with on-board luncheon followed by a trip to Churchill Downs for the ADBC Memorial Race. There will be a musical tribute to the veterans that evening. The ADBC Descendants' brunch on Thursday, May 8, should be interesting - make reservations early if you plan to attend as seating is limited. Other activities that week will be announced in the next issue of The QUAN.
It would be great to have a large turnout of AGOMers and/or their descendants this year so we can spend time reminiscing about the past and exchanging ideas for the future. If you plan to attend, please make reservations at the Holiday inn Louisville Downtown - 502-582-2241 - ASAP. Group rate is about $95 per night for two beds or king accommodations. If in doubt, it might be a good idea to make a reservation anyway as it can be canceled later on if plans change. For those late deciders who find that the hotel is sold out, I have reserved four rooms for that contingency, but will release them in late April if not needed. The AGOM annual meeting will be held on Friday, May 9 or Saturday, May 10. The last page of this newsletter is an outreach letter requesting information about AGOM descendants for inclusion in the roster that we are in the process of compiling.
Kent and I will be on a trip to South America for the remainder of March but I will be available for questions or suggestions starting in April. Incidentally, Guerrilla Daughter, my story about our family's experiences on Mindanao during WWII, is scheduled for publication by Kent State University Press in July. My father and two brothers served in the 10th Military District, 110th Division.
THE FINAL ROLL CALL
John Lewis passed away on March 4, 2008 in Texarkana, AR. Born in Mt. Holly, AR on August 17, 1918, John started his navy career during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. During WWII he was assigned to the Philippines and was part of the PT Boat Squadron crew that brought General MacArthur to Mindanao in March 1942. He spent the rest of the war years on Mindanao, serving in the 10th Military District until he was evacuated in April 1945. He later served in the Korean War and retired in 1959 after 21 years in the Navy. His awards include the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. John is survived by his wife Lulu, whom he met and married on Mindanao during WWII, and four daughters, five grandchildren (one of whom is a Ranger who served in Iraq and is currently stationed in Alaska) and six great-grandchildren. John will be buried in Texarkana.
Ginger Hansen Holmes
President, AGOM Descendants Group
120 S. Cherry St.
Falls Church VA 22046
E-Mail: kvholmes@cox.net