Babcock, David Sherman

Rank and Name, Lieutenant Colonel David Sherman Babcock.

Unit/Placed in, Field Artillery, United States Army.

Camp Cabanatuan(Pangatian)

(former HQ 91^st Philippine army Division)

After the Japanese occupation in 1942, the camp was converted by the Imperial Japanese Army into the Cabanatuan POW Camp. At its height, 8,000 prisoners were detained at this location. The prisoners also included some civilians including one British and one Norwegian citizen. This POW Camp detained prisoners until liberated during the night of January 30, 1945.

The rectangular camp spanned roughly 25 acres and was 800 yards deep by 600 yards wide, divided by a road in the center. The camp consisted of a barracks for Japanese guards, barracks for prisoners, a hospital and water tower enclosed by barbed wire with guard towers.

Oryoku Maru

Thomas Austin was one of 1619 prisoners of War onboard the Oryoku Maru at Manila. The ship sailed on December 13, 1944, for Japan and when It arrived at Subic Bay, the same day, it was bombed by American planes from the USS Hornet, while it was picking up Japanese personnel. When dusk came, the planes broke off the attack. Next the planes returned and resumed the attack. On Dec. 15, 1944 and sunk the Ship. The Japanese abandoned ship, even ordered the POWs to abandon ship during the air raid when the American pilots saw the large number of men climbing from the ship’s holds, they stopped their attack. As the POWs swam to shore, the POWs were shot at by Japanese soldiers with machine guns.

Brazil Maru

After the Bombing on the Oryoku Maru the POW were put aboard two other ships, the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru, to continue on to Japan.

Meantime 2^nd Lt. Fab Arsenault died from the previous Bombardments aboard the ship on 20 January 1945.

David is born approx. on 28 Sep. 1899 in Staten Island, New York.

Father, Philip S. Babcock.

Mother, Lily A. (Clark) Babcock.

Sister(s), Charlotte N. Babcock.

Brother(s), Philip S. and Arthur C. Babcock.

Spouse, Elizabeth A. (Giltner) Babcock.

David enlisted the service in New York with service number # 0-015339.

David died of his wounds sustained during the bombing of the Oryoku Maru on 24 Jan. 1945, he is honored with the Legion de Merit, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.

David is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Walls of the missing.

Thanks to, https://dpaa.secure.force.com/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001BWSlUEAX

Jean Louis Vijgen, WW2-Pacific Website.

Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.

ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov

Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker

Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/

Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org

POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.

Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano

National Historian