World War II Honoree

John Frederick Richards Hay

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Hamblen County, Tennessee

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

SERVED IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER AS A SECOND LIEUTENANT WITH THE 192ND TANK BATTALION (LIGHT). FOUGHT GALLANTLY IN THE DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS UNTIL HIS UNIT WAS SURRENDERED TO THE JAPANESE 14TH ARMY ON APRIL 9, 1942. HE AND SOME 11,500 AMERICANS AND FILIPINOS BECAME PRISONERS OF WAR. TOOK PART IN THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH. ON APRIL 10, 1942, HE AND OTHERS WERE ASSEMBLED, SEARCHED AND STRIPPED OF ALL BELONGINGS; THEN FORCE MARCHED OFF WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER TOWARD A CAMP BEING BUILT AT SAN FERNANDO, OVER 60 MILES DISTANT. ON APRIL 12, 1942, THE JAPANESE FORCED THE POW TO SIT IN THE OPEN SUN WITHOUT WATER. MANY BECAME DELIRIOUS AND OTHERS DIED. THE BARBARIC CONDITIONS CONTINUED UNTIL HE REACHED THE CAMP. IN TOTAL, SOME 25,000 PRISONERS DIED EN ROUTE. CAMP CONDITIONS WERE ATROCIOUS AND THE DAILY DEATH RATE WENT AS HIGH AS 550. SOME 22,000 PRISONERS DIED IN THE FIRST 2 MONTHS AT THE CAMP. HE DIED FROM NON-BATTLE CAUSES ON OCTOBER 10, 1942. AWARDED THE PRISONER OF WAR MEDAL, AMERICAN DEFENSE MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION WITH 2 BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS UNIT AT: BATAAN FROM DECEMBER 8-31, 1941; LUZON FROM JANUARY 6TH TO FEBRUARY 14, 1942; AND FOR DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINES FROM DECEMBER 7, 1941 TO MAY 10, 1942. ALSO AUTHORIZED THE PHILIPPINE DEFENSE MEDAL, AND THE PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR SERVICE IN THE WAR AGAINST JAPAN FROM DECEMBER 7, 1941 TO MAY 10, 1942.