"Jim Gallagher attended Georgetown University, Class of 1936. Upon graduation he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve. The following summer he received additional training at Fort Meade, Maryland, and qualified for promotion to the grade of 1st Lieutenant.

"In September following his graduation, he entered the newspaper field in the employ of the "Philadelphia Record." He worked for awhile in the business office soliciting classified advertising, a job he described as "bottom of the barrel stuff."

"Then followed a period as a cub reporter assigned to Police Courts and Federal activities and finally arriving at his real interest, sports reporting.

"All his life Jim had been passionately devoted to athletics, both as a participant and as a spectator. Anything in the field of competition aroused his deepest interest. He wrote a series of articles for the "Record" called "Dinny the Dub," which described the frustration of an ardent duffer in such widely separated endeavors as playing goalie on a ladies field hockey team to fighting a leading light heavyweight contender.

"Jim's great desire and earnest aim was to be a serious writer. He devoted a portion of every day training for this goal, This was his life when in October 1940 he was called to active service." Source: Letters of Captain James M. Gallagher. page 4.
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31 July 1941 – Reserve and National Guard Officers on Active Duty U.S. Army: 1st Lt. James McD. Gallagher (S/N 0-339078), Infantry, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Shortly after he joined the United States Army he was sent to the Philippines. He was assigned as a training officer to the 33rd Infantry Regiment of the 31st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

They became part of the Bataan Defense Force when war with Japan broke out on 08 December 1941.
 From his Silver Star citation: Captain Gallagher commanded units of the 33rd Infantry, 31st Division, Philippine Army, holding a sector of the line south of the Pilar-Bagac Road during the final Japanese assault on Bataan defenses. While units on both flanks withdrew under the ferocious onslaught, he remained with his troops to hold and fight the enemy until he was captured - probably sometime on the 7th of April. Two days before all of Fil-American Forces on Bataan were surrendered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I first encountered your son early the morning of April 8, 1942. He evidently was captured the evening before. He and two others, Frank Spears and Sam Stenzler, both deceased, were being questioned by a Japanese officer through an interpreter. The whole (time) the three were on their knees and all looked pretty woozy. During the questioning I overheard your son tell the Japs that according to the rules of International Warfare he was only required to give his name and rank at this time. He was slapped in the face by the Jap officer about three times.

[In the iconic Japanese Death March photo L to R: Private First Class Samuel Stenzler, Private First Class Frank Spear and Captain James McDonnell Gallagher. The photo was taken either the 8th or the morning of the 9th of April. All three men perished during the war. Capt. Gallagher died 09 April.

 PFC Stenzler died at Camp O'Donnell on 26 May 1942 and 

PFC Spear was executed at Niigata Camp 5-B in Japan on 19 July 1945.]

"In this area there were about six of us Americans and about 12 Filipino soldiers who had been captured in the Mt. Samat area, on the front line. Around 7 a.m. we were lined up prepared to march. Your son and I were placed in front of the column to set the pace. We marched all day until about 5 p.m. On that march I had learned your son's name and that he was a newspaper man at home. At 5 p.m. we were placed under a large Mango tree and the Japs gave us some hot tea and a small sack of cakes for each two men. Capt. Gallagher and I split one bag which had 34 small cakes. He insisted I take them all as he didn't care to eat. He was pretty much weakened after the day's march without food, most likely not having any food the previous day. While we were sitting there he went out (of) his head for a few seconds. I asked him what was the matter and he replied, "I wish I knew." From all appearances he was full of malaria. After we had rested around an hour we were placed on trucks and were taken to Balanga, capitol of Bataan. We were locked up in the basement of a large dwelling and kept there all nite. There were about a hundred Filipinos and one more American there when we arrived. During that evening and early the next morning your son passed out several times. I had some aromatic spirits o[ ammonia which I held under his nose which seemed to revive him. We had a few quinine tablets which he also took. The next morning the Japs fed us some rice and canned fish, but your son wouldn't eat; he appeared to be too exhausted.

"After breakfast we loaded on trucks and left for Orani. Capt. Gallagher had to be lifted in the truck. We detrucked at Orani and were questioned by the Japs and left on trucks an hour later. During our stay at Orani your son layed down and seemed to be asleep. When we were ordered back on the trucks your son couldn't get up, so Frank Spears picked him up with a fireman's carry and started for the truck. At this time the Japs ordered Spears to take him across the road and into a small shack. Spears came back just before the trucks pulled out, about ten minutes. He sat down beside me and told me that Capt. Gallagher died in that shack and that he searched him and took his billfold and identification tags. I told Spears he should leave one of the tags on him so he could be identified later, but just then the trucks pulled out and it was too late. Spears later told me he turned in the tags and billfold to an army chaplain, but I don't know his name, but it was a chaplain who worked at the hospital at Cabanatuan, Camp No. 1.

"Although I didn't see Capt. Gallagher after he died the place that Spears last saw and swore a certificate as to his death was a small Barrio in Bataan named Orani. When I last saw him on Spears' back I noticed his face was real purple and remarked that he needed medical attention, but under the conditions none was available. In my opinion, your son's death was due to malaria, malnutrition and exhaustion...Your son died about 12 noon April 9, 1942."
Source: Letter from Sgt. Emanuel Hamburger dated 28 September 1946 to James' father, Joseph F. Gallagher. Found in: Letters of Captain James M. Gallagher, page 37.

and from a follow-up letter dated 04 October 1946 in answer to some questions from Joseph F. Gallagher:

"...The reason they were on their knees, as far as I could see, was that the Jap officer who was questioning them was seated on a small bank at the edge of the road and by them being on their knees he didn't have to look up at them.

"At the start of the march Jim appeared as normal as any of us. We were all somewhat weakened and hungry. I do not believe your son was aware of his closeness to death, for we held a pretty normal conversation most of the day. He didn't mention anything about his family or anything that I could construe as a message home. Our conversation consisted mostly of things military, about the situation on Bataan, and of officers of my regiment whom Jim was acquainted with. He didn't mention anything about feeling badly and seemed OK until at the end of the march that evening, when he seemed to go out of his head for a few seconds. He was dressed with a khaki shirt and slacks, a khaki field cap; the only insignia was his captain bars on the shirt collar. As to his weight I would judge, the best I can remember, that he was around 145 lbs.

"He didn't mention how he was captured. But on April 6, the Japs had broke through our lines in several places and our troops to get out withdrew to the right flank. Several men, due to our communication wires being shot up, weren't notified about the withdrawal and were on their own getting out of that area, after the Japs got in. That was the way myself and two others of my company were captured.

"We detrucked at Orani and were taken in a building, formerly a public market, and were required to fill out some blank forms. During that period, around an hour, Jim was lying on his back and Frank Spears was trying- to take of him. When we were ordered back to the trucks, Jim couldn't make it on his feet, so as I said before, Spears lifted Jim on his back in a fireman's carry. At this time I noticed Jim's head, which was hanging down, had a very purple appearance. Spears carried (Jim) straight across the road, which incidentally was the main highway on Bataan, to a small building. The rest of us boarded the trucks immediately and as I remember it, it couldn't have been over ten minutes that Spears was there with your son.

"No one was mistreated during the questioning at Orani. In fact, they gave us a half of a rice ball and some drinking water while we were there. All Spears said to me about the contents of the billfold was that there was some money and a few papers in it. I never saw the billfold or his tags. Orani is just a small village (Barrio) on the main highway of Bataan, the main part of it being on the highway. If the village hasn't been altered and rebuilt too much, I am sure I could recognize the building where I saw Spears carry Jim.

"...As to the time of the day when Jim died, I was quoting the time from memory and that was four years ago. I know we rode in the truck during the morning and it seemed around noon to me when we were stopped at Orani.

"...The march we made that day started at 7 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. They rested us about 5 minutes every hour and also stopped occasionally when we reached small creeks so we could get a drink of polluted water. The march started on Trail No. 2 at the San Vincente River and ended at Orion cut-off near the Pilar-Begac Road. I don't know the distance but I'd estimate it to be 15 miles.
Source: Letter from Sgt. Emanuel Hamburger dated 04 October 1946 to James' father, Joseph F. Gallagher. Found in: Letters of Captain James M. Gallagher, page 38.
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Captain Gallagher was left off the official Prisoner of War rolls because he died on the Bataan Death March; his body was never recovered.

Captain James McDonnell Gallagher is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing - United States Army and Army Air Forces at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

He also has a cenotaph in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia - Section MJ, Site 37

Captain James McD. Gallagher was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart – posthumously.

His SILVER STAR citation is as follows: "For gallantry in action on Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, Philippines Islands, in April 1942. Captain Gallagher commanded units of the 33rd Infantry, 31st Division, Philippine Army, holding a sector of the line south of the Pilar-Bagac Road during the final Japanese assault on Bataan defenses. While units on both flanks withdrew under the ferocious onslaught, he remained with his troops to hold and fight the enemy until he was captured. By his exceptional gallantry, Captain Gallagher made a glorious contribution to the inspiring annals of the outnumbered defenders of Bataan Peninsula."

His family and friends published a book of his many letters home in memory of him. He was also honored in the annual of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia.

"Jim Gallagher attended Georgetown University, Class of 1936. Upon graduation he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve. The following summer he received additional training at Fort Meade, Maryland, and qualified for promotion to the grade of 1st Lieutenant.

"In September following his graduation, he entered the newspaper field in the employ of the "Philadelphia Record." He worked for awhile in the business office soliciting classified advertising, a job he described as "bottom of the barrel stuff."

"Then followed a period as a cub reporter assigned to Police Courts and Federal activities and finally arriving at his real interest, sports reporting.

"All his life Jim had been passionately devoted to athletics, both as a participant and as a spectator. Anything in the field of competition aroused his deepest interest. He wrote a series of articles for the "Record" called "Dinny the Dub," which described the frustration of an ardent duffer in such widely separated endeavors as playing goalie on a ladies field hockey team to fighting a leading light heavyweight contender.

"Jim's great desire and earnest aim was to be a serious writer. He devoted a portion of every day training for this goal, This was his life when in October 1940 he was called to active service." Source: Letters of Captain James M. Gallagher. page 4.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
31 July 1941 – Reserve and National Guard Officers on Active Duty U.S. Army: 1st Lt. James McD. Gallagher (S/N 0-339078), Infantry, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Shortly after he joined the United States Army he was sent to the Philippines. He was assigned as a training officer to the 33rd Infantry Regiment of the 31st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.

They became part of the Bataan Defense Force when war with Japan broke out on 08 December 1941.
 From his Silver Star citation: Captain Gallagher commanded units of the 33rd Infantry, 31st Division, Philippine Army, holding a sector of the line south of the Pilar-Bagac Road during the final Japanese assault on Bataan defenses. While units on both flanks withdrew under the ferocious onslaught, he remained with his troops to hold and fight the enemy until he was captured - probably sometime on the 7th of April. Two days before all of Fil-American Forces on Bataan were surrendered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I first encountered your son early the morning of April 8, 1942. He evidently was captured the evening before. He and two others, Frank Spears and Sam Stenzler, both deceased, were being questioned by a Japanese officer through an interpreter. The whole (time) the three were on their knees and all looked pretty woozy. During the questioning I overheard your son tell the Japs that according to the rules of International Warfare he was only required to give his name and rank at this time. He was slapped in the face by the Jap officer about three times.

[In the iconic Japanese Death March photo L to R: Private First Class Samuel Stenzler, Private First Class Frank Spear and Captain James McDonnell Gallagher. The photo was taken either the 8th or the morning of the 9th of April. All three men perished during the war. Capt. Gallagher died 09 April.

 PFC Stenzler died at Camp O'Donnell on 26 May 1942 and 

PFC Spear was executed at Niigata Camp 5-B in Japan on 19 July 1945.]

"In this area there were about six of us Americans and about 12 Filipino soldiers who had been captured in the Mt. Samat area, on the front line. Around 7 a.m. we were lined up prepared to march. Your son and I were placed in front of the column to set the pace. We marched all day until about 5 p.m. On that march I had learned your son's name and that he was a newspaper man at home. At 5 p.m. we were placed under a large Mango tree and the Japs gave us some hot tea and a small sack of cakes for each two men. Capt. Gallagher and I split one bag which had 34 small cakes. He insisted I take them all as he didn't care to eat. He was pretty much weakened after the day's march without food, most likely not having any food the previous day. While we were sitting there he went out (of) his head for a few seconds. I asked him what was the matter and he replied, "I wish I knew." From all appearances he was full of malaria. After we had rested around an hour we were placed on trucks and were taken to Balanga, capitol of Bataan. We were locked up in the basement of a large dwelling and kept there all nite. There were about a hundred Filipinos and one more American there when we arrived. During that evening and early the next morning your son passed out several times. I had some aromatic spirits o[ ammonia which I held under his nose which seemed to revive him. We had a few quinine tablets which he also took. The next morning the Japs fed us some rice and canned fish, but your son wouldn't eat; he appeared to be too exhausted.

"After breakfast we loaded on trucks and left for Orani. Capt. Gallagher had to be lifted in the truck. We detrucked at Orani and were questioned by the Japs and left on trucks an hour later. During our stay at Orani your son layed down and seemed to be asleep. When we were ordered back on the trucks your son couldn't get up, so Frank Spears picked him up with a fireman's carry and started for the truck. At this time the Japs ordered Spears to take him across the road and into a small shack. Spears came back just before the trucks pulled out, about ten minutes. He sat down beside me and told me that Capt. Gallagher died in that shack and that he searched him and took his billfold and identification tags. I told Spears he should leave one of the tags on him so he could be identified later, but just then the trucks pulled out and it was too late. Spears later told me he turned in the tags and billfold to an army chaplain, but I don't know his name, but it was a chaplain who worked at the hospital at Cabanatuan, Camp No. 1.

"Although I didn't see Capt. Gallagher after he died the place that Spears last saw and swore a certificate as to his death was a small Barrio in Bataan named Orani. When I last saw him on Spears' back I noticed his face was real purple and remarked that he needed medical attention, but under the conditions none was available. In my opinion, your son's death was due to malaria, malnutrition and exhaustion...Your son died about 12 noon April 9, 1942."
Source: Letter from Sgt. Emanuel Hamburger dated 28 September 1946 to James' father, Joseph F. Gallagher. Found in: Letters of Captain James M. Gallagher, page 37.

and from a follow-up letter dated 04 October 1946 in answer to some questions from Joseph F. Gallagher:

"...The reason they were on their knees, as far as I could see, was that the Jap officer who was questioning them was seated on a small bank at the edge of the road and by them being on their knees he didn't have to look up at them.

"At the start of the march Jim appeared as normal as any of us. We were all somewhat weakened and hungry. I do not believe your son was aware of his closeness to death, for we held a pretty normal conversation most of the day. He didn't mention anything about his family or anything that I could construe as a message home. Our conversation consisted mostly of things military, about the situation on Bataan, and of officers of my regiment whom Jim was acquainted with. He didn't mention anything about feeling badly and seemed OK until at the end of the march that evening, when he seemed to go out of his head for a few seconds. He was dressed with a khaki shirt and slacks, a khaki field cap; the only insignia was his captain bars on the shirt collar. As to his weight I would judge, the best I can remember, that he was around 145 lbs.

"He didn't mention how he was captured. But on April 6, the Japs had broke through our lines in several places and our troops to get out withdrew to the right flank. Several men, due to our communication wires being shot up, weren't notified about the withdrawal and were on their own getting out of that area, after the Japs got in. That was the way myself and two others of my company were captured.

"We detrucked at Orani and were taken in a building, formerly a public market, and were required to fill out some blank forms. During that period, around an hour, Jim was lying on his back and Frank Spears was trying- to take of him. When we were ordered back to the trucks, Jim couldn't make it on his feet, so as I said before, Spears lifted Jim on his back in a fireman's carry. At this time I noticed Jim's head, which was hanging down, had a very purple appearance. Spears carried (Jim) straight across the road, which incidentally was the main highway on Bataan, to a small building. The rest of us boarded the trucks immediately and as I remember it, it couldn't have been over ten minutes that Spears was there with your son.

"No one was mistreated during the questioning at Orani. In fact, they gave us a half of a rice ball and some drinking water while we were there. All Spears said to me about the contents of the billfold was that there was some money and a few papers in it. I never saw the billfold or his tags. Orani is just a small village (Barrio) on the main highway of Bataan, the main part of it being on the highway. If the village hasn't been altered and rebuilt too much, I am sure I could recognize the building where I saw Spears carry Jim.

"...As to the time of the day when Jim died, I was quoting the time from memory and that was four years ago. I know we rode in the truck during the morning and it seemed around noon to me when we were stopped at Orani.

"...The march we made that day started at 7 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. They rested us about 5 minutes every hour and also stopped occasionally when we reached small creeks so we could get a drink of polluted water. The march started on Trail No. 2 at the San Vincente River and ended at Orion cut-off near the Pilar-Begac Road. I don't know the distance but I'd estimate it to be 15 miles.
Source: Letter from Sgt. Emanuel Hamburger dated 04 October 1946 to James' father, Joseph F. Gallagher. Found in: Letters of Captain James M. Gallagher, page 38.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Captain Gallagher was left off the official Prisoner of War rolls because he died on the Bataan Death March; his body was never recovered.

Captain James McDonnell Gallagher is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing - United States Army and Army Air Forces at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

He also has a cenotaph in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia - Section MJ, Site 37

Captain James McD. Gallagher was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart – posthumously.

His SILVER STAR citation is as follows: "For gallantry in action on Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, Philippines Islands, in April 1942. Captain Gallagher commanded units of the 33rd Infantry, 31st Division, Philippine Army, holding a sector of the line south of the Pilar-Bagac Road during the final Japanese assault on Bataan defenses. While units on both flanks withdrew under the ferocious onslaught, he remained with his troops to hold and fight the enemy until he was captured. By his exceptional gallantry, Captain Gallagher made a glorious contribution to the inspiring annals of the outnumbered defenders of Bataan Peninsula."

His family and friends published a book of his many letters home in memory of him. He was also honored in the annual of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia.