World War II Honoree

Ben Mossel

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Kansas City, Missouri

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: First Lieutenant. Inducted into the United States Army from Missouri. Upon his graduation from recruit training, he was designate to attend the Flight Aviation Training Program. At an unknown date, he was deployed to the Philippine Islands Location: Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations, and based at Nichols Airfield, Luzon Island. He served with the Twenty-Eighth Material Squadron, Twentieth Air Base Group, an element 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 Bataan Battle. As a prisoner, his captors subjected him to participate in the Bataan Death March, detained at the Prisoner of War Camp #1 Cabanatuan, Luzon Island. Wednesday, October 11, 1944 he boarded the Japanese ‘Hell Ship’ Arisan Maru, destined for Japan. Reported Missing in Action or buried at sea Tuesday, October 24, 1944 when the transport was torpedoed, and sunk in the Bashi Channel, South China Sea by a U.S. Submarine. 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 Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.