World War II Honoree

Joseph Nax

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Staff Sergeant. Inducted into the United States Army Air Corps August 3, 1939 at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Deployed to the Philippine Islands and served with the 28th Material Squadron, an element of the 20th Air Base Group attached to the V-Bomber Command, United States Far East 5th Air Force stationed at Clark Field. He participated in the Philippine Campaign (Battle Dates: December 8, 1941-May 6, 1942), the conquest of the Philippine Islands by the Japanese Imperial forces. Thursday, April 9, 1942 the invaders on the Island of Luzon captured him during the Battle of Bataan, while his unit was in retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. As a Japanese Prisoner of War, his captors forced him to participate in the Bataan Death March and held captive at the Prisoner of War Camp #1 Cabanatuan Nueva Province Luzon, Philippine Islands for One Hundred days. Reported as Missing in Action; Saturday, July 18, 1942 and he is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing at the American Cemetery and Memorial, located at Fort Bonifacio in Manila, Philippine Islands. This Airman, an American Patriot so gallantly gave his life for his country.