Comments on: World War II: Liberating Los Baños Internment Camp

By: Kathy Perow

Kathy Perow — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:46:31 +0000

Thank you for the histories and the forum. I am an American now living just outside UPLB and have realized I am very near the site of the Los Banos camp. I would like to pay my respects properly, and would welcome contact from anyone who could confirm the exact location of the camp in reference to the current campus. I will be happy to lay a stone of remembrance for any who wish it. kcperow@gmail.com

By: Bruce Christie

Bruce Christie — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:01:15 +0000

My father, Alexander Christie, was interned at Los Ba?os. He was part of the “Vatican City” group. He was assigned a new job for the morning of Feb. 23, 1945. That was to guard the fire wood pile and thus he had a ring side seat for the liberation. He never talked of his ordeal while he was alive and it wasn’t until his death in 1995 that we discovered he had kept a diary of this period. I am now in the process of trying to decipher his hand writing. Any surviving internees or liberators can contact me if they wish at abc1082@webtv.net or abchristie@juno.com

By: adrian g. maravilla

adrian g. maravilla — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:52:15 +0000

My father was WWII, retired AFP officer. I tried to get a copy of his military record which is now in the US Military archives. Though I am a Vietnam Vet. myself, I cannot get my father’s military record because of their bull crap requirements that only the spouse, the eldest kin and the eldest grand kin can get this records. Unluckily I am just the third son. Any suggestion

By: john p. montesa

john p. montesa — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:02:03 +0000

When I was 17 1/2 years old I was sent from Santo Tomas Internment Camp with 799 other civilian internees to establish the Los Banos camp on the grounds of the agricultural college of the University of The Philippines. We had to manual labor with picks, shovels and wheelbarrows to excavate and level the sloping hillside where the Japanese military expected the internees’ barracks to be constructed. After some time we were relieved of this work by the Japanese command. I remained in that camp until liberated by the airborne outfit. I could elaborate in great detail on our life there, the conditions, etc. If you wish you can reach me at the e-mail address of “john.montesa@gmail.com”

By: Karen Concannon Meyer

Karen Concannon Meyer — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:38:51 +0000

My father, Michael Francis Concannon was one of the 11th airborne paratroopers from the infantry. The POWs - many innocent women, missionaries and children, were due to be executed at dawn. The soldiers had intelligence that the Japanese did their exercises at dawn with just loin cloths and not weapons. When the chutes opened, the troopers barely had time for them to open before hitting the ground and they were shooting in the air as they came down. They got all of the prisoners free but some of them were disoriented and didn’t want to leave their belongings. The soldiers had to burn the huts to get the people to leave because they new they had the amphibious assault teams waiting in the lake to take POWs across the lake to safety. It was a huge undertaking and our men were loving and compassionate and helped the people without losing a single life of POW or our soldiers. The History channel did a documentary on it and before my father passed away he watched it and recognized some of his buddies on the film. He broke down in tears because the Japanese had sent children into battle and he had killed a 13 year old boy. He thought he was young and came back to see his id - he was crushed. He was also so upset because while they were in the jungles, both the Japanese and our soldiers were cut off from supplies for 10 days and were starving. One of his best friends went missing and they found him - with steaks cut out of his back - the enemy had eaten their best friend. Those kinds of things he kept to himself for 60 years and though he loved his country dearly, he never said anything bad about the Japanese or his fellow man. He had suffered the horrors or war but he didn’t let it defeat him personally.

By: Robert Colby

Robert Colby — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:09:49 +0000

My older brother Jack A, Colby was with the 11th and in the 511th and was involved in these operations. We found out he was okay by means of some of the internees when they got back to the states. Any more info asl me
RLC

By: Julie Morales

Julie Morales — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:49:45 +0000

Ahother friend of mine was an american POW too in a Philippines japanese camp, in World War II. Her name was Miss Cecilia Michell and I would like to get information about her, but I don’t know in which japanesse camp she was. She was one of the survivors of the camp in which she was a POW.
I will appreciate your informations.

By: Julie Morales

Julie Morales — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:34:37 +0000

A friend of mine was an american POW in Los Baños, Philippines japanese camp, in World War II. His name was Dr. Robert T. Browne and I would like to get information about him, like a list of POWs there, and fotographies, if possible. He was one of the survivors of this camp, but he died in 1978.
I will appreciate your informations.

By: Fred M Pohl

Fred M Pohl — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:23:25 +0000

My father T/th grade Fred J Pohl was in Co “A”
672nd AMTRAC Bn 37th Infantry Division Involved in the rescue of Internees at Los banos I always Remember the motto of my Fathers Bn “Ever Onward”