From those that were there… (3)

 

Richard Gordon, MP, 1942

Richard M. Gordon was born and raised in NYC’s neighborhood called “Hell’s Kitchen” and when asked where he preferred to serve, the Philippines or Panama, he chose the point on the map farthest away from the ‘old neighborhood.’  Gordon was originally with F Company/31st US Infantry Regiment, but was transferred to help form a new unit, the 12th MPs, the only Philippine Scout Unit with both American and Filipino enlisted men.  He made a point to start his interview off with ___

“I was captured – I did not surrender.  Most of my fellow soldiers felt as I did – that we could not lose.  We believed it was just a question of when the promised reinforcements would arrive.  We were lied to – but by Washington, not by General Douglas MacArthur.

12th MP Brass

“We never knew defeat was imminent until our commanding general told us he had surrendered.  At the time, no one believed him, and when they found out it was true, many were in tears.  We felt we indeed had been ‘expendable.’  During a later prison camp session held by our Bataan garrison CO, MGen. Edward P. King, Jr., before he was shipped out to Mukden, Manchuria, he told us we had been asked to lay down a bunt to gain time.  The baseball metaphor was probably the best way to explain why we were there in the first place.

 

“Gen. Lough gave us the word of our unit’s surrender.  After hearing this, we camped in combat positions on Mount Bataan, known at the time as Signal Hill.  A small group of us went farther up the mountain, in an effort to avoid surrender.  Several days passed with no sign of the enemy.  Hungry and in need of provisions, Cpl. Elmer Parks [of Oklahoma] and I volunteered to drive down the hill to our last position in search of supplies.  Elmer was driving and I was riding shotgun in a Dodge pickup truck.  We gathered up a number of Garand M1 rifles and decided to go a little farther down the road.

The Mariveles, today

“…we came upon a huge banyan tree, so large it served as a road divider.  As we approached, a lone Japanese soldier holding a rifle stepped out from behind it.  Elmer stopped the truck and we stared at one another.  The thought of attempting to run occurred to both of us, as did the thought of picking up one of the M1s.  But neither of us did a thing other than stare at the Japanese soldier.  Finally, he motioned to us to get out of the truck.

“At that moment, 10 -15 more Japanese came out of the brush.  They surely had us in their sights all the time.  These were front-line troops, scouring the area for enemy resistance.  They took turns hitting us with the butts of their rifles.  We were searched and any valuables we had – were taken.  On our way down the mountain I saw our battalion commander, Major James Ivy, bare from the waist up and dead with countless bayonet holes in his back.

Richard Gordon

“Walking down that mountain…where the road leveled off into the West Road of Bataan…That night was so dark and confused that I immediately lost contact with Elmer.  I assumed he had died.  I never saw him again – until a reunion 47 years later at Fort Sill, OK.”

Richard Gordon remained a POW until the end of the war, but continued his military career and retired a Major in the U.S. Army.  He is the founder of the Battling Bastards of Bataan Group.  Major Gordon passed away 26 July 2003 and is buried at Arlington Cemetery.  The information here was compiled from both the Philippine Scout Heritage Society and historynet.com

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updated Military Humor – 

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Farewell Salutes – 

Richard Bissette – Essey Junction, VT; (’42) US Coast Guard, WWII; (’46) USMC; US Army, Korea, Sgt. Major, (Ret. 34 combined years)

Walter Figg Jr. – Louisville, KY; US Army, WWII

Walter Geisinger – Springfield, VA; US Air Force, LtColonel, (Ret.)

Earl Knight – Yuma, AZ; US Army, WWII

James MacRae – Mount Prospect, IL; US Army, WWII, 14th Armored Div.

Irvine Mitchell – Hamilton, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 421748, WWII, pilot

James Schwantes – Mayville, WI, US Army, WWII

Kenneth Tobin – Kingia AUS; 5th Australian Army

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