World War II Honoree

Ben D. Gatliff

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Knoxville, Tennessee

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private. Inducted into the United States Army June 30, 1941 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Upon his graduation from recruit training, he was designate to attend the Flight Aviation Training Program. Following the completion of the training, he was deployed to the Philippine Islands Location: Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations, and based on Luzon Island. He served with the 454th Ordnance Company (Aviation), 27th Bombardment Group, Fifth V-Bomber Command a subordinate unit of the U.S. Far East Fifth Air Force. His unit participated in the Battle of the Philippines, the conquest of the Philippine Islands by the Imperial Japanese Army and Naval Forces (Battle Dates: December 8, 1941-May 6, 1942). While retreating to the Bataan Peninsula, he was captured on 9 April during the ensuing Battle of Bataan. As a prisoner, his captors subjected him to participate in the Bataan Death March, detained in an unstated Prisoner of War Camp, Luzon Island. On August 20, 1944 he boarded the Japanese ‘Hell Ship’ Shinyo Maru moored in the Manila Harbor destination; Japan via Formosa. Reported Missing in Action or buried at sea September 7, 1944, when the transport was torpedoed and sunk by the USS Submarine, Paddle off the northwest coast of Mindanao. In remembrance of the Brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the Tablets of the Missing, memorialized at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Location: Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippine Islands. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.