World War II Honoree

Edmund Netzlaw

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Mike, Greg, Walt, Jean

Relationship

Nephews, Niece

He served with Headquarters Company, 803rd Engineer Battalion (Aviation). The 803rd was deployed from Westover Field, Massachusetts to Del Carmen airfield on Luzon in the Philippine Islands where they were on December 7, 1941. Their mission was to repair airfields, build defensive positions, and fight as infantry. They successfully fought, delaying Japanese forces for three months until Bataan fell In April 1942, when the defenders were surrendered to the Japanese army. He survived the Bataan Death March. He was imprisoned at Camp O’Donnell where he died at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army on July 5, 1942 of malnutrition and dysentery. Medical treatment was intentionally withheld. He was returned to be buried at home in Philadelphia from his deployment in 1948.