Information provided by Steve Schwarze - 17 November 2013
Born 10 Mar 1918 in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas
Died 29 Apr 1945 in Negros Island, Philippines
Son of Fred Ellensworth Holder & Ethel Marks Harley.
Corregidor - Pfc. Kenneth M. Holder – Company "E" 503rd Regimental Combat Team Names of Personnel Participating in the Corregidor Operation
The Combat Team jumped on Corregidor on 16 February 1945 to liberate that Island from occupying Japanese forces. This was the most vicious combat action in which the Combat Team engaged during its existence. Corregidor was the bastion which withstood a fierce Japanese siege for nearly five months in 1941 and 1942, thereby interrupting the Japanese advance toward Australia. The 503rd was proud to have been allowed to have the honor of recapturing the Island. Japanese sources, within recent years have estimated there were 6550 Japanese on the Island when the 503rd landed. Of those, only 50 survived. The 503rd, however, lost 172 men killed and many wounded or injured. The 503rd was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions.
Almost immediately after returning to Mindoro from Corregidor, the Combat Team was called upon to bolster the 40th Division which was bogged down on the Island of Negros, in the Central Philippines. The Combat team was inserted into Negros by landing craft, although it had been alerted for another combat jump. The objectives of the proposed jump, a strategic bridge and a large lumber mill, were destroyed by Japanese forces, thereby eliminating the first objectives of the 503d. The 503rd engaged in fierce battles against frantic Japanese resistance in the mountainous areas of Negros for more than five months. The 40th US Division convinced higher headquarters there were only a few enemy troops remaining on the Island and were moved to Mindanao, leaving the 503rd to battle the Japanese alone. At the end of the War with Japan in August 1945, about 7,500 of the surviving Japanese troops surrendered to the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team.
Source: A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE 503d PARACHUTE REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM, WWII http://www.thedropzone.org/pacific/503hist.html
John Lindgren: We didn't get to Negros until April 7 , 1945. The month of April was when we had the severest casualties. The 2nd Battalion was pushing up Tokaido Road during this time [E Company was in the 2nd Battalion]
9 April 1945 - 503d assault forces crossed the initial point at 0800 with 11 officers and 1670 enlisted men. PHASE I (as designated in the following account of the Negros mission) began as the 503d began to sweep E and SE from Silay along the Tokaido Road. This phase, which would last approximately 32 days, was marked by assault after assault on Japs who were dug in deep in well prepared defenses. The fighting developed across terrain which began as rolling plains of grassland and ended in sparsely vegetated high ridges and deep valleys. The Japanese "held the high ground" at all times.
April 26 - "E" Co. sustained a dawn attack by an estimated 30 enemy. Twenty were killed at point-blank range including one officer. Source: http://corregidor.org/bea503/Calendar/Day%20By%20Day/450426.htm
April 28 – "E Co," - Attempted infiltration cost the enemy. 3 dead in "E" Co's area during the night 28-29. Security patrols in the comÂpany area on 29 Apr. closed 20 caves, killed eight enemy, found a 75-mm field piece (rendered unoperateably (sic) and 2 U.S. heavy MG's.
April 29 - "E" Co. "S/Sgt Holder KIA and 1 man W.I.A by sniper fire.
Suffered our heaviest day yesterday for casualties, 8 KIAs, 17 WIAs. D having 9 casualties, E Co-7, Hq-5, and F Co-4. Source: http://corregidor.org/BEA503/Calendar/Week_at_a_Glance/4505w1.html
Don Abbott: At about the same day (4/28/45) Pfc. Roland E. Perrault from "E" Company was killed by a sniper S/Sgt Kenneth Holder, the Supply Sergeant was also killed by a sniper. I happened to be at the "E" Co. CP when Holder was killed and even heard the shot fired which got him. If Perrault's case was the same he would never have felt a thing--Holder didn't. Source: http://corregidor.org/heritage_battalion/looking_for/seeking.htm
Information provided by Steve Schwarze - 17 November 2013
Born 10 Mar 1918 in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas
Died 29 Apr 1945 in Negros Island, Philippines
Son of Fred Ellensworth Holder & Ethel Marks Harley.
Corregidor - Pfc. Kenneth M. Holder – Company "E" 503rd Regimental Combat Team Names of Personnel Participating in the Corregidor Operation
The Combat Team jumped on Corregidor on 16 February 1945 to liberate that Island from occupying Japanese forces. This was the most vicious combat action in which the Combat Team engaged during its existence. Corregidor was the bastion which withstood a fierce Japanese siege for nearly five months in 1941 and 1942, thereby interrupting the Japanese advance toward Australia. The 503rd was proud to have been allowed to have the honor of recapturing the Island. Japanese sources, within recent years have estimated there were 6550 Japanese on the Island when the 503rd landed. Of those, only 50 survived. The 503rd, however, lost 172 men killed and many wounded or injured. The 503rd was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions.
Almost immediately after returning to Mindoro from Corregidor, the Combat Team was called upon to bolster the 40th Division which was bogged down on the Island of Negros, in the Central Philippines. The Combat team was inserted into Negros by landing craft, although it had been alerted for another combat jump. The objectives of the proposed jump, a strategic bridge and a large lumber mill, were destroyed by Japanese forces, thereby eliminating the first objectives of the 503d. The 503rd engaged in fierce battles against frantic Japanese resistance in the mountainous areas of Negros for more than five months. The 40th US Division convinced higher headquarters there were only a few enemy troops remaining on the Island and were moved to Mindanao, leaving the 503rd to battle the Japanese alone. At the end of the War with Japan in August 1945, about 7,500 of the surviving Japanese troops surrendered to the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team.
Source: A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE 503d PARACHUTE REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM, WWII http://www.thedropzone.org/pacific/503hist.html
John Lindgren: We didn't get to Negros until April 7 , 1945. The month of April was when we had the severest casualties. The 2nd Battalion was pushing up Tokaido Road during this time [E Company was in the 2nd Battalion]
9 April 1945 - 503d assault forces crossed the initial point at 0800 with 11 officers and 1670 enlisted men. PHASE I (as designated in the following account of the Negros mission) began as the 503d began to sweep E and SE from Silay along the Tokaido Road. This phase, which would last approximately 32 days, was marked by assault after assault on Japs who were dug in deep in well prepared defenses. The fighting developed across terrain which began as rolling plains of grassland and ended in sparsely vegetated high ridges and deep valleys. The Japanese "held the high ground" at all times.
April 26 - "E" Co. sustained a dawn attack by an estimated 30 enemy. Twenty were killed at point-blank range including one officer. Source: http://corregidor.org/bea503/Calendar/Day%20By%20Day/450426.htm
April 28 – "E Co," - Attempted infiltration cost the enemy. 3 dead in "E" Co's area during the night 28-29. Security patrols in the comÂpany area on 29 Apr. closed 20 caves, killed eight enemy, found a 75-mm field piece (rendered unoperateably (sic) and 2 U.S. heavy MG's.
April 29 - "E" Co. "S/Sgt Holder KIA and 1 man W.I.A by sniper fire.
Suffered our heaviest day yesterday for casualties, 8 KIAs, 17 WIAs. D having 9 casualties, E Co-7, Hq-5, and F Co-4. Source: http://corregidor.org/BEA503/Calendar/Week_at_a_Glance/4505w1.html
Don Abbott: At about the same day (4/28/45) Pfc. Roland E. Perrault from "E" Company was killed by a sniper S/Sgt Kenneth Holder, the Supply Sergeant was also killed by a sniper. I happened to be at the "E" Co. CP when Holder was killed and even heard the shot fired which got him. If Perrault's case was the same he would never have felt a thing--Holder didn't. Source: http://corregidor.org/heritage_battalion/looking_for/seeking.htm
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Entered the service from Arkansas.
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