World War II Honoree

J.S. Gray

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Jonesville, Louisiana

Honored By

Carl J. Wittfeld, Jr.

Relationship

Squadron Friend

JOINED THE U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS IN 1939 AT BARKSDALE ARMY AIR BASE AT BOSSIER CITY, LOUISIANA AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 27TH BOMB GROUP (L). IN JANUARY 1941 HE TRANSFERRED WITH 27TH BOMB GROUP TO SAVANNAH ARMY AIR BASE IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA. IN OCTOBER 1941 HE AND THE 27TH BOMB GROUP WENT BY TRAIN TO SAN FRANCISCO AND BOARDED THE STEAMSHIP SS PRESIDENT COOLIDGE FOR OVERSEAS DUTY, ARRIVING IN MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS NOVEMBER 20, 1941. SOON AFTER ARRIVING HE WAS THRUST INTO COMBAT AFTER THE JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR AND THE PHILIPPINES. HE FOUGHT AGAINST ALL ODDS UNTIL CAPTURED APRIL 9, 1941 BY THE JAPANESE ARMY AT MARIVELES AT THE TIP OF BATAAN PENINSULA. HE SURVIVED THE INFAMOUS BATAAN DEATH MARCH, WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER FOR 7 DAYS, FINALLY ARRIVING AT CAMP O'DONNELL. HE WAS THEN SENT TO CABANATUAN CAMP 3 AND THEN TO A POW CAMP AT DAVAO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. IN JULY 1944, HE WAS SENT FROM DAVAO TO BILIBID PRISON IN MANILA AND PUT ABOARD THE JAPANESE 'HELL SHIP' MATI MATI MARU, ALSO KNOWN AS 'CANADIAN INVENTOR II,' FOR TRANSPORT TO JAPAN FOR SLAVE LABOR. AFTER 62 DAYS THE SHIP FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE PORT OF MOJI, JAPAN. THEN HE WAS SENT TO A POW CAMP AT YOKKAICHI, NEAR OSAKA, JAPAN AND FORCED TO WORK IN THE MITSUI COPPER FOUNDRY. HE WAS LATER TRANSFERRED TO A CAMP AT TOYAMA, JAPAN WHERE HE WAS SEVERELY BEATEN AND BRANDED WITH A RED-HOT POKER, LEAVING 4 DEEP UGLY SCARS. AFTER THE 2ND A-BOMB WAS DROPPED ON JAPAN, HE WAS LIBERATED BY AMERICAN ARMED FORCES IN SEPTEMBER 1945 AND MEDICALLY EVACUATED TO LETTERMAN GENERAL HOSPITAL IN SAN FRANCISCO. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AS STAFF SERGEANT IN MARCH 1946 AT FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA. AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR, PRISONER OF WAR MEDAL, DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION WITH 2 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS, AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL WITH BRONZE STAR, ASIATIC-PACIFIC SERVICE MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE STARS, PHILIPPINE DEFENSE RIBBON WITH BRONZE STAR, WWII VICTORY MEDAL AND GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL.