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IPTC: Caption
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From left to right: Private First Class Samuel Stenzler (September 15, 1893-May 26, 1942); Private First Class Frank Spear (1919-July 9, 1945) and Captain James McDonald Gallagher (1915-April 9, 1942) are resting with hands bound during the Bataan Death March to Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines in a captured Japanese photo. Their hands are bound because they were found to possess either Japanese money, personal photos, or some other contraband. The figure to the extreme right is a Japanese soldier, who the three appear to be listening to. It's likely Gallagher and possibly the other men were beaten soon after this view was taken. None of the three men would survive captivity; all were weakened by lack of food, extreme stress, and constant movement. Samuel Stenzler was born in Tluste, Poland (then part of Austria) and immigrated to the United States as a child. He married and resided in San Antonio, Texas, applying for American citizenship in 1909. Stenzler registered for the draft in World War I, listing his occupation as "Soldier (Discharged)." After the death of his wife, he rejoined the United States Army on February 27, 1940, and was assigned to Company C, 31st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Division, the premier American fighting unit in the Philippines. The 31st Regiment fought in the Battles of Layac (January 6, 1942) and Abucay Hacienda (January 17-24, 1942). C Company renamed the Abucay battlefield "Dead Men's Hill" because of their losses and the high number of Japanese casualties. The 31st Infantry Regiment fought a delaying action through April 1942 but was short of food, ammunition, and reinforcements throughout the campaign; the unit never had more than 60% of its authorized strength available. Company C surrendered on April 9, 1942 with the rest of the 31st Regiment when United States Army Major General Edward P. King capitulated the Bataan peninsula. Stenzler died at Camp O'Donnell on May 26, 1942, probably because of starvation, const
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IPTC: Copyright Notice
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Caption ©2009 MFA Productions LLCImage in the Public Domain
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