World War II Honoree

Edward G. Willis

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Harrodsburg, Kentucky

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private. On November 25, 1940, he entered the United States Army as a member of the Kentucky Army National Guard. Deployed to the Philippine Islands, Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations where he served with Headquarters Company, 192nd Tank Battalion a subordinate unit of the Provisional Tank Group. He participated in the Battle of the Philippine Islands (Battle Dates: December 8, 1941-May 6, 1942), the conquest of the Philippine Islands by the Imperial Japanese Army and Naval forces. While his unit was retreating to the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon in the Battle of Bataan, the Japanese captured him April 9, 1942. His captors subjected him to participate in the Bataan Death March and held in captivity at the Prisoner of War Camp #1 Cabanatuan Nueva Province, Luzon for 85 days. On July 3, 1942, he died of unknown causes and buried in a common grave along with seven other prisoners in the Cabanatuan Prisoner of War Cemetery. On February 17, 1950, they reinterred the eight Soldiers in a group burial at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri. His family has placed a Memorial Marker in his memory at the Berea Christian Church Cemetery in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. This Soldier, an American Patriot, so gallantly gave up his life in the service of his country.