World War II Honoree

Willard R. Yeast

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Mercer, Kentucky

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private. Inducted into the United States Army November 25, 1940 as a member of the Kentucky Army National Guard at Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Following his basic and combat Infantry/Tank training, he was deployed to the Philippine Islands Location: Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations. He served as a Tank Crew Member with Delta Company, 192nd Tank Battalion, a parent unit of the Provisional Tank Group. His unit participated in the Battle of the Philippines, the conquest of the Philippine Islands by the Imperial Japanese Army 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, he was transferred to the City of Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, and detained at the Prisoner of War Camp. The Palawan Massacre took his life Thursday, December 14, 1944, with burial in the Prisoner cemetery. In the post-war era personnel from a Graves Registration Company, disinterred his remains from the camp cemetery, and were laid to rest in the United States Armed Forces Cemetery Location: Leyte #1 Tacloban, Philippine Islands. This Soldiers’ family requested that he be buried with Military Honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Lemay, Missouri, with Interment February 14, 1952. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.