Alva M. Rodgers
Service # 6838840
Rank: Sergeant, U. S. Army Air Forces
Unit: 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group
Entered Service From: District of Columbia
Date of Death: 10 July 1942, executed along with four others by the Japanese in the Barrio of Capalangan, Apalit, Pampanga Province, Central Luzon, Philippines
Buried: Manila American Cemetery – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was born Edward Wheeler but changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Edward Wheeler married Freda May McClellan on 26 October 1921. They had five children, Edward Wheeler (1923-1977), Margaret Elizabeth Wheeler Stanley (1925-2007), Ruth Loraine Wheeler Armstrong (1925-1995), Donald M. Wheeler (1928-1956) and Dorothy Marie Wheeler O'Connor (1930-2007).
Edward Wheeler (29 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1930 United States Federal Census (05 April 1930) for Centerville Borough, Washington County, Pennsylvania (sheet 5B, family 85) along with his wife, Freda Wheeler (25 Pennsylvania) and children, Edward Wheeler (7 Pennsylvania), Margaret Wheeler (5 Pennsylvania), Ruth Wheeler (3 Pennsylvania) and Donald Wheeler (1 Pennsylvania). Edward was 20 and Freda 17, when they married. He was a coal miner.
He and Freda divorced about 1930 and he changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Alva M. Rodgers (09 March 1901 Pennsylvania) first enlisted in the U.S. Army on 16 April 1930 in Pittsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 17 April 1930 to 20 April 1936
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class/Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery A on 17 April 1930. He was promoted to Private First Class on 20 April 1931. Alva was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 28 May - 05 June 1931. In June- July 1932 Battery A, was stationed at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. He was absent, sick WRGH from 07 November - 02 December 1932. He was demoted back to Private for being AWOL 27-28 May 1933. Private Rodgers was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 24 July - 16 September 1933. He was promoted back to Private First Class on 03 November 1933. He was given a furlough from 04 December 1933 to 08 February 1934. Alva was DS to Raritan Arsenal, New Jersey from 30 October 1934 - 14 January 1935. Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers was honorably discharged on 20 April 1936 at Fort Myer, Virginia per ETS.
In 1936 he married Virginia Gertrude Miller Brown.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 09 September 1936 to 29 March 1938.
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He reenlisted and joined his old unit, Battery A, on 09 September 1936. Alva was absent sick WRGH from 03 October - 03 November 1936. He was promoted to Private First Class on 10 December 1936. He was given a furlough from 23 July - 21 August 1937. On 29 March 1938, Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840) was given an honorable discharge "per purchase."
Alva M. Rodgers (1900 Pennsylvania), a resident of the District of Columbia, reenlisted as a Private (S/N 6838840) in the U.S. Army on 07 September 1939. He had completed Grammar school.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 07 September 1939 to 31 December 1939.
Battery B, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery B on 07 September 1939. Alva was DS to St Louis, Missouri from 28 September - 09 October 1939. He was promoted to Private First Class on 01 November 1939.
There are no more Monthly Roster of Troops records online after 1939.
Alva M. Rodgers (39 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1940 United States Federal Census (15 May 1940) for Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia (sheet 18A, line. 14) He was a soldier in the U.S. Army. He had lived in Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia in 1935.
He was assigned to the 27th Material Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Far East Air Force and sent to the Philippines on 28 June 1940. The 27th Material Squadron was in charge of supplies and aircraft at Nichols Field.
On 08 December 1941 war came to the Philippines. Over the next couple of days Japanese planes virtually destroyed the U.S. Army's Far East Air Force. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered American and Filipino forces to withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December, and by the 28th, Japanese forces occupied Nichols Field. With no planes, most of the men of the 27th Materiel Squadron on Bataan became became infantrymen.
The newly formed units were referred to as Provisional Infantry Regiment. These Provisional Infantry units were composed of men drawn from maintenance, ordnance, communications, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew squadrons. In most cases they had never had any infantry combat training. Most had to be taught how to put bullets into their rifles and how to use hand grenades, and how to dig a proper foxhole. It was akin to on-the-job training.
The regiment comprised two battalions: 1st Battalion (Headquarters Squadron of the 20th Air Base Group, 19th Air Base Squadron, 27th Materiel Squadron, 28th Materiel Squadron, and 7th Materiel Squadron); 2nd Battalion (2nd Observation Squadron, 48th Materiel Squadron, Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Squadron, and 17th Bomb Squadron). Each squadron represented roughly a company-sized element in infantry terms. Although clumsy, at times, comical, and, at times, very shaky, they performed valiantly. It was not pretty, but they did their job.
Capt. John S. Coleman, commander of the 27th Materiel Squadron, described his men's equipment and tactical situation when he stated: "We had 163 men of which an average of about 100 were on the front lines near Orion. We had about 44 back at PNAD [Philip- pine Air Depot], some on crash boat crews, some driving half-tracks, and tanks. We had on the frontline 3 machine guns, of which 2 were water cooled Brown- ing's and one marlin machine gun. We had two BARs; the rest of the enlisted men had .30 caliber rifles and officers had one pistol each. We had 2 grenades each. Some carried 4 each on patrols. The first battalion had about 34 machine guns. About two-thirds of them were machine guns taken off wrecked airplanes, of the .50 caliber class and were too heavy to carry around. Most of these were in front- line trenches and offsets well concealed and fortified by sandbags and sod." Source: The Provisional Air Corps Regiment at
Bataan, 1942, by 2nd Lt. Grant T. Willis, UASF and 2nd Lt. Brendan H. J. Donnelly, USAF (found in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Fall 2021), page 63.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of 08 April, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 27th Materiel Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Sgt. Alva M. Rogers, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Shortly after he was sent to work on the Calumpit Bridge Detail (destroyed by the Americans on 01 January 1942). It is not known if he was one of the original POWs on the detail sent out in May from Camp O'Donnell or if he was one of an additional 40 POWs who came from Cabanatuan in June. Their job was to rebuilt bridges destroyed during the Battle of Luzon.
In July 1942, one of the prisoners escaped (Corporal Gotlieb G. Neigum, H Company, 31st Infantry). As reprisal for the escape, five prisoners from the Calumpit Bridge Detail were executed.
Capalangan, Luzon, Philippines S-2 Report, 03 February 1945
"The prisoners were kept in the schoolhouse at night and in the daytime worked on the bridge at CALUMPIT. The diet was exclusively rice and fish, and many men were sick of malaria, dysentery, beriberi, etc. At one time only 20 of the 120 were able to work. Sick ones were returned to an unidentified concentration camp and exchanged for well ones. They were here from the middle of April until July 1st, 1942, after which they were taken to build another bridge at Cabanatuan. On this trip four men died and were buried on the road between APALIT and SAN FERNANDO. On the same trip an *unidentified prisoner escaped. For this the Jap Commander selected the five "largest Americans" and had them shot. The shooting took place in the CAPALANGAN school yard and was witnessed by the above named Filipinos. The bodies were buried in unnamed graves in the schoolyard. Four of the graves are marked with wooden crosses; the fifth is unmarked.
Source: Investigation of Graves of American POWs in Battalion CP area – Capalangan 14 February 1945; witnesses - Mr. Bernardo Lacanilao and Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie M. Paminez who lived near the church of Capalangan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night of the escape (during a monsoon rainstorm) Captain Watanabe had gone to the home of Fausto Carlos (the mayor of Calumpit) with some Japanese soldiers and "five or six" American war prisoners. Fausto was told that he "should exert all efforts to produce the escaped prisoner, or else ten war prisoners will be killed...according to military law".
At the time Mayor Carlos did not know the name of the American who had escaped "but the next day a guerrilla went to my house and reported to me that the American war prisoner was in their possession, and the name of the American was Neigum, so something like that".
"With the help of his interpreter I asked him not to kill innocent people, because it would be against their propaganda and against the Catholics, because the Filipinos are Catholic."... "The next morning, then, I went there and visited him (Captain Watanabe), and brought two or three chickens, and some eggs, maybe two dozen eggs, just to convince him for my request."
"The result was that after two or three days he told me that instead of ten Americans only five would be killed."..."They were not executed in Calumpit, because I requested Captain Watanabe not to execute the five Americans in Calumpit, because it would be against the conscience of the Filipinos in that locality, who were all Christians. They were executed outside of Calumpit." In the Barrio of Capalangan about one kilometer from Calumpit.
Source: Testimony of Fausto Carlos (mayor of Calumpit at that time) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946). He commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March.
Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao - witness to the executions.
Q: Will you tell the Commission what you saw?
A: In the month of July a Japanese truck drove by our house. They went to the Capalangan Central School. When they reached the school the Japanese spread out all over the school grounds.
Q: Who was on the truck?
A: Japanese soldiers and American prisoners.
Q: What happened at the school grounds?
A: The Japanese went to the school grounds and three American prisoners dug some graves. After they dug some graves five Americans were lined up, and about 20 Japanese made a firing squad, and after that they fired on them...three of them died and two were still alive...they were dragged to the grave...and finished off with a pistol...after that the Japanese covered them...the next morning the American prisoners take a cross there."
Source: Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz - witness to the executions.
Q: Do you recall an occasion when some American prisoners were shot?
A: Yes, sir. One afternoon a truck passed by and stopped at the Capalangan Central School...I saw that the Americans were ordered to walk towards the school. One of them was blindfolded and he could not walk, so he was helped by some of his companions.
Q: How many American prisoners were there?
A: Seven...and about 20 Japanese...they were brought to the school garden, and three of the Americans were ordered to dig a grave...after they have dug the grave the five Americans were asked to line up. Two of them had their faces towards the Japanese and three had their backs towards them...the Japanese in turn formed themselves in a firing squad and they shot the Americans...three of them died right away, one was beaten by the butt of the rife, the other one was fired at while in the grave...their bodies were covered by earth by the Japanese."
Source: Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Prisoners who were shot 16 July 1942:
Private Henry J. Adams, 19th Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Sgt. Howell A. Emley, Headquarters Company, 194th Tank Battalion
Tec5 Earl G. Smith, Company C, 194th Tank Battalion
Sgt. Alva M. Rogers 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Corporal Corporal Uno C. Gustafson, Quartermaster Corps
After the war his remains were removed from the Capalangan school yard and brought to the 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands – Block 2, Row 2, Grave 200, (D-D No. 10302). The deceased in Manila #2 rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, (father, Mr. Milton W. Wheeler), Sergeant Alva M. Rodgers was buried in his final resting place in the 7701 Ft. McKinley Cemetery (now known as the Manila American Cemetery) – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66.
Service # 6838840
Rank: Sergeant, U. S. Army Air Forces
Unit: 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group
Entered Service From: District of Columbia
Date of Death: 10 July 1942, executed along with four others by the Japanese in the Barrio of Capalangan, Apalit, Pampanga Province, Central Luzon, Philippines
Buried: Manila American Cemetery – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was born Edward Wheeler but changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Edward Wheeler married Freda May McClellan on 26 October 1921. They had five children, Edward Wheeler (1923-1977), Margaret Elizabeth Wheeler Stanley (1925-2007), Ruth Loraine Wheeler Armstrong (1925-1995), Donald M. Wheeler (1928-1956) and Dorothy Marie Wheeler O'Connor (1930-2007).
Edward Wheeler (29 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1930 United States Federal Census (05 April 1930) for Centerville Borough, Washington County, Pennsylvania (sheet 5B, family 85) along with his wife, Freda Wheeler (25 Pennsylvania) and children, Edward Wheeler (7 Pennsylvania), Margaret Wheeler (5 Pennsylvania), Ruth Wheeler (3 Pennsylvania) and Donald Wheeler (1 Pennsylvania). Edward was 20 and Freda 17, when they married. He was a coal miner.
He and Freda divorced about 1930 and he changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Alva M. Rodgers (09 March 1901 Pennsylvania) first enlisted in the U.S. Army on 16 April 1930 in Pittsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 17 April 1930 to 20 April 1936
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class/Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery A on 17 April 1930. He was promoted to Private First Class on 20 April 1931. Alva was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 28 May - 05 June 1931. In June- July 1932 Battery A, was stationed at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. He was absent, sick WRGH from 07 November - 02 December 1932. He was demoted back to Private for being AWOL 27-28 May 1933. Private Rodgers was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 24 July - 16 September 1933. He was promoted back to Private First Class on 03 November 1933. He was given a furlough from 04 December 1933 to 08 February 1934. Alva was DS to Raritan Arsenal, New Jersey from 30 October 1934 - 14 January 1935. Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers was honorably discharged on 20 April 1936 at Fort Myer, Virginia per ETS.
In 1936 he married Virginia Gertrude Miller Brown.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 09 September 1936 to 29 March 1938.
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He reenlisted and joined his old unit, Battery A, on 09 September 1936. Alva was absent sick WRGH from 03 October - 03 November 1936. He was promoted to Private First Class on 10 December 1936. He was given a furlough from 23 July - 21 August 1937. On 29 March 1938, Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840) was given an honorable discharge "per purchase."
Alva M. Rodgers (1900 Pennsylvania), a resident of the District of Columbia, reenlisted as a Private (S/N 6838840) in the U.S. Army on 07 September 1939. He had completed Grammar school.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 07 September 1939 to 31 December 1939.
Battery B, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery B on 07 September 1939. Alva was DS to St Louis, Missouri from 28 September - 09 October 1939. He was promoted to Private First Class on 01 November 1939.
There are no more Monthly Roster of Troops records online after 1939.
Alva M. Rodgers (39 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1940 United States Federal Census (15 May 1940) for Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia (sheet 18A, line. 14) He was a soldier in the U.S. Army. He had lived in Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia in 1935.
He was assigned to the 27th Material Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Far East Air Force and sent to the Philippines on 28 June 1940. The 27th Material Squadron was in charge of supplies and aircraft at Nichols Field.
On 08 December 1941 war came to the Philippines. Over the next couple of days Japanese planes virtually destroyed the U.S. Army's Far East Air Force. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered American and Filipino forces to withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December, and by the 28th, Japanese forces occupied Nichols Field. With no planes, most of the men of the 27th Materiel Squadron on Bataan became became infantrymen.
The newly formed units were referred to as Provisional Infantry Regiment. These Provisional Infantry units were composed of men drawn from maintenance, ordnance, communications, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew squadrons. In most cases they had never had any infantry combat training. Most had to be taught how to put bullets into their rifles and how to use hand grenades, and how to dig a proper foxhole. It was akin to on-the-job training.
The regiment comprised two battalions: 1st Battalion (Headquarters Squadron of the 20th Air Base Group, 19th Air Base Squadron, 27th Materiel Squadron, 28th Materiel Squadron, and 7th Materiel Squadron); 2nd Battalion (2nd Observation Squadron, 48th Materiel Squadron, Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Squadron, and 17th Bomb Squadron). Each squadron represented roughly a company-sized element in infantry terms. Although clumsy, at times, comical, and, at times, very shaky, they performed valiantly. It was not pretty, but they did their job.
Capt. John S. Coleman, commander of the 27th Materiel Squadron, described his men's equipment and tactical situation when he stated: "We had 163 men of which an average of about 100 were on the front lines near Orion. We had about 44 back at PNAD [Philip- pine Air Depot], some on crash boat crews, some driving half-tracks, and tanks. We had on the frontline 3 machine guns, of which 2 were water cooled Brown- ing's and one marlin machine gun. We had two BARs; the rest of the enlisted men had .30 caliber rifles and officers had one pistol each. We had 2 grenades each. Some carried 4 each on patrols. The first battalion had about 34 machine guns. About two-thirds of them were machine guns taken off wrecked airplanes, of the .50 caliber class and were too heavy to carry around. Most of these were in front- line trenches and offsets well concealed and fortified by sandbags and sod." Source: The Provisional Air Corps Regiment at
Bataan, 1942, by 2nd Lt. Grant T. Willis, UASF and 2nd Lt. Brendan H. J. Donnelly, USAF (found in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Fall 2021), page 63.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of 08 April, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 27th Materiel Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Sgt. Alva M. Rogers, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Shortly after he was sent to work on the Calumpit Bridge Detail (destroyed by the Americans on 01 January 1942). It is not known if he was one of the original POWs on the detail sent out in May from Camp O'Donnell or if he was one of an additional 40 POWs who came from Cabanatuan in June. Their job was to rebuilt bridges destroyed during the Battle of Luzon.
In July 1942, one of the prisoners escaped (Corporal Gotlieb G. Neigum, H Company, 31st Infantry). As reprisal for the escape, five prisoners from the Calumpit Bridge Detail were executed.
Capalangan, Luzon, Philippines S-2 Report, 03 February 1945
"The prisoners were kept in the schoolhouse at night and in the daytime worked on the bridge at CALUMPIT. The diet was exclusively rice and fish, and many men were sick of malaria, dysentery, beriberi, etc. At one time only 20 of the 120 were able to work. Sick ones were returned to an unidentified concentration camp and exchanged for well ones. They were here from the middle of April until July 1st, 1942, after which they were taken to build another bridge at Cabanatuan. On this trip four men died and were buried on the road between APALIT and SAN FERNANDO. On the same trip an *unidentified prisoner escaped. For this the Jap Commander selected the five "largest Americans" and had them shot. The shooting took place in the CAPALANGAN school yard and was witnessed by the above named Filipinos. The bodies were buried in unnamed graves in the schoolyard. Four of the graves are marked with wooden crosses; the fifth is unmarked.
Source: Investigation of Graves of American POWs in Battalion CP area – Capalangan 14 February 1945; witnesses - Mr. Bernardo Lacanilao and Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie M. Paminez who lived near the church of Capalangan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night of the escape (during a monsoon rainstorm) Captain Watanabe had gone to the home of Fausto Carlos (the mayor of Calumpit) with some Japanese soldiers and "five or six" American war prisoners. Fausto was told that he "should exert all efforts to produce the escaped prisoner, or else ten war prisoners will be killed...according to military law".
At the time Mayor Carlos did not know the name of the American who had escaped "but the next day a guerrilla went to my house and reported to me that the American war prisoner was in their possession, and the name of the American was Neigum, so something like that".
"With the help of his interpreter I asked him not to kill innocent people, because it would be against their propaganda and against the Catholics, because the Filipinos are Catholic."... "The next morning, then, I went there and visited him (Captain Watanabe), and brought two or three chickens, and some eggs, maybe two dozen eggs, just to convince him for my request."
"The result was that after two or three days he told me that instead of ten Americans only five would be killed."..."They were not executed in Calumpit, because I requested Captain Watanabe not to execute the five Americans in Calumpit, because it would be against the conscience of the Filipinos in that locality, who were all Christians. They were executed outside of Calumpit." In the Barrio of Capalangan about one kilometer from Calumpit.
Source: Testimony of Fausto Carlos (mayor of Calumpit at that time) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946). He commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March.
Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao - witness to the executions.
Q: Will you tell the Commission what you saw?
A: In the month of July a Japanese truck drove by our house. They went to the Capalangan Central School. When they reached the school the Japanese spread out all over the school grounds.
Q: Who was on the truck?
A: Japanese soldiers and American prisoners.
Q: What happened at the school grounds?
A: The Japanese went to the school grounds and three American prisoners dug some graves. After they dug some graves five Americans were lined up, and about 20 Japanese made a firing squad, and after that they fired on them...three of them died and two were still alive...they were dragged to the grave...and finished off with a pistol...after that the Japanese covered them...the next morning the American prisoners take a cross there."
Source: Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz - witness to the executions.
Q: Do you recall an occasion when some American prisoners were shot?
A: Yes, sir. One afternoon a truck passed by and stopped at the Capalangan Central School...I saw that the Americans were ordered to walk towards the school. One of them was blindfolded and he could not walk, so he was helped by some of his companions.
Q: How many American prisoners were there?
A: Seven...and about 20 Japanese...they were brought to the school garden, and three of the Americans were ordered to dig a grave...after they have dug the grave the five Americans were asked to line up. Two of them had their faces towards the Japanese and three had their backs towards them...the Japanese in turn formed themselves in a firing squad and they shot the Americans...three of them died right away, one was beaten by the butt of the rife, the other one was fired at while in the grave...their bodies were covered by earth by the Japanese."
Source: Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Prisoners who were shot 16 July 1942:
Private Henry J. Adams, 19th Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Sgt. Howell A. Emley, Headquarters Company, 194th Tank Battalion
Tec5 Earl G. Smith, Company C, 194th Tank Battalion
Sgt. Alva M. Rogers 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Corporal Corporal Uno C. Gustafson, Quartermaster Corps
After the war his remains were removed from the Capalangan school yard and brought to the 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands – Block 2, Row 2, Grave 200, (D-D No. 10302). The deceased in Manila #2 rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, (father, Mr. Milton W. Wheeler), Sergeant Alva M. Rodgers was buried in his final resting place in the 7701 Ft. McKinley Cemetery (now known as the Manila American Cemetery) – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66.
Alva M. Rodgers
Service # 6838840
Rank: Sergeant, U. S. Army Air Forces
Unit: 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group
Entered Service From: District of Columbia
Date of Death: 10 July 1942, executed along with four others by the Japanese in the Barrio of Capalangan, Apalit, Pampanga Province, Central Luzon, Philippines
Buried: Manila American Cemetery – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was born Edward Wheeler but changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Edward Wheeler married Freda May McClellan on 26 October 1921. They had five children, Edward Wheeler (1923-1977), Margaret Elizabeth Wheeler Stanley (1925-2007), Ruth Loraine Wheeler Armstrong (1925-1995), Donald M. Wheeler (1928-1956) and Dorothy Marie Wheeler O'Connor (1930-2007).
Edward Wheeler (29 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1930 United States Federal Census (05 April 1930) for Centerville Borough, Washington County, Pennsylvania (sheet 5B, family 85) along with his wife, Freda Wheeler (25 Pennsylvania) and children, Edward Wheeler (7 Pennsylvania), Margaret Wheeler (5 Pennsylvania), Ruth Wheeler (3 Pennsylvania) and Donald Wheeler (1 Pennsylvania). Edward was 20 and Freda 17, when they married. He was a coal miner.
He and Freda divorced about 1930 and he changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Alva M. Rodgers (09 March 1901 Pennsylvania) first enlisted in the U.S. Army on 16 April 1930 in Pittsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 17 April 1930 to 20 April 1936
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class/Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery A on 17 April 1930. He was promoted to Private First Class on 20 April 1931. Alva was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 28 May - 05 June 1931. In June- July 1932 Battery A, was stationed at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. He was absent, sick WRGH from 07 November - 02 December 1932. He was demoted back to Private for being AWOL 27-28 May 1933. Private Rodgers was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 24 July - 16 September 1933. He was promoted back to Private First Class on 03 November 1933. He was given a furlough from 04 December 1933 to 08 February 1934. Alva was DS to Raritan Arsenal, New Jersey from 30 October 1934 - 14 January 1935. Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers was honorably discharged on 20 April 1936 at Fort Myer, Virginia per ETS.
In 1936 he married Virginia Gertrude Miller Brown.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 09 September 1936 to 29 March 1938.
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He reenlisted and joined his old unit, Battery A, on 09 September 1936. Alva was absent sick WRGH from 03 October - 03 November 1936. He was promoted to Private First Class on 10 December 1936. He was given a furlough from 23 July - 21 August 1937. On 29 March 1938, Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840) was given an honorable discharge "per purchase."
Alva M. Rodgers (1900 Pennsylvania), a resident of the District of Columbia, reenlisted as a Private (S/N 6838840) in the U.S. Army on 07 September 1939. He had completed Grammar school.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 07 September 1939 to 31 December 1939.
Battery B, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery B on 07 September 1939. Alva was DS to St Louis, Missouri from 28 September - 09 October 1939. He was promoted to Private First Class on 01 November 1939.
There are no more Monthly Roster of Troops records online after 1939.
Alva M. Rodgers (39 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1940 United States Federal Census (15 May 1940) for Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia (sheet 18A, line. 14) He was a soldier in the U.S. Army. He had lived in Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia in 1935.
He was assigned to the 27th Material Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Far East Air Force and sent to the Philippines on 28 June 1940. The 27th Material Squadron was in charge of supplies and aircraft at Nichols Field.
On 08 December 1941 war came to the Philippines. Over the next couple of days Japanese planes virtually destroyed the U.S. Army's Far East Air Force. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered American and Filipino forces to withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December, and by the 28th, Japanese forces occupied Nichols Field. With no planes, most of the men of the 27th Materiel Squadron on Bataan became became infantrymen.
The newly formed units were referred to as Provisional Infantry Regiment. These Provisional Infantry units were composed of men drawn from maintenance, ordnance, communications, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew squadrons. In most cases they had never had any infantry combat training. Most had to be taught how to put bullets into their rifles and how to use hand grenades, and how to dig a proper foxhole. It was akin to on-the-job training.
The regiment comprised two battalions: 1st Battalion (Headquarters Squadron of the 20th Air Base Group, 19th Air Base Squadron, 27th Materiel Squadron, 28th Materiel Squadron, and 7th Materiel Squadron); 2nd Battalion (2nd Observation Squadron, 48th Materiel Squadron, Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Squadron, and 17th Bomb Squadron). Each squadron represented roughly a company-sized element in infantry terms. Although clumsy, at times, comical, and, at times, very shaky, they performed valiantly. It was not pretty, but they did their job.
Capt. John S. Coleman, commander of the 27th Materiel Squadron, described his men's equipment and tactical situation when he stated: "We had 163 men of which an average of about 100 were on the front lines near Orion. We had about 44 back at PNAD [Philip- pine Air Depot], some on crash boat crews, some driving half-tracks, and tanks. We had on the frontline 3 machine guns, of which 2 were water cooled Brown- ing's and one marlin machine gun. We had two BARs; the rest of the enlisted men had .30 caliber rifles and officers had one pistol each. We had 2 grenades each. Some carried 4 each on patrols. The first battalion had about 34 machine guns. About two-thirds of them were machine guns taken off wrecked airplanes, of the .50 caliber class and were too heavy to carry around. Most of these were in front- line trenches and offsets well concealed and fortified by sandbags and sod." Source: The Provisional Air Corps Regiment at
Bataan, 1942, by 2nd Lt. Grant T. Willis, UASF and 2nd Lt. Brendan H. J. Donnelly, USAF (found in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Fall 2021), page 63.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of 08 April, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 27th Materiel Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Sgt. Alva M. Rogers, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Shortly after he was sent to work on the Calumpit Bridge Detail (destroyed by the Americans on 01 January 1942). It is not known if he was one of the original POWs on the detail sent out in May from Camp O'Donnell or if he was one of an additional 40 POWs who came from Cabanatuan in June. Their job was to rebuilt bridges destroyed during the Battle of Luzon.
In July 1942, one of the prisoners escaped (Corporal Gotlieb G. Neigum, H Company, 31st Infantry). As reprisal for the escape, five prisoners from the Calumpit Bridge Detail were executed.
Capalangan, Luzon, Philippines S-2 Report, 03 February 1945
"The prisoners were kept in the schoolhouse at night and in the daytime worked on the bridge at CALUMPIT. The diet was exclusively rice and fish, and many men were sick of malaria, dysentery, beriberi, etc. At one time only 20 of the 120 were able to work. Sick ones were returned to an unidentified concentration camp and exchanged for well ones. They were here from the middle of April until July 1st, 1942, after which they were taken to build another bridge at Cabanatuan. On this trip four men died and were buried on the road between APALIT and SAN FERNANDO. On the same trip an *unidentified prisoner escaped. For this the Jap Commander selected the five "largest Americans" and had them shot. The shooting took place in the CAPALANGAN school yard and was witnessed by the above named Filipinos. The bodies were buried in unnamed graves in the schoolyard. Four of the graves are marked with wooden crosses; the fifth is unmarked.
Source: Investigation of Graves of American POWs in Battalion CP area – Capalangan 14 February 1945; witnesses - Mr. Bernardo Lacanilao and Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie M. Paminez who lived near the church of Capalangan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night of the escape (during a monsoon rainstorm) Captain Watanabe had gone to the home of Fausto Carlos (the mayor of Calumpit) with some Japanese soldiers and "five or six" American war prisoners. Fausto was told that he "should exert all efforts to produce the escaped prisoner, or else ten war prisoners will be killed...according to military law".
At the time Mayor Carlos did not know the name of the American who had escaped "but the next day a guerrilla went to my house and reported to me that the American war prisoner was in their possession, and the name of the American was Neigum, so something like that".
"With the help of his interpreter I asked him not to kill innocent people, because it would be against their propaganda and against the Catholics, because the Filipinos are Catholic."... "The next morning, then, I went there and visited him (Captain Watanabe), and brought two or three chickens, and some eggs, maybe two dozen eggs, just to convince him for my request."
"The result was that after two or three days he told me that instead of ten Americans only five would be killed."..."They were not executed in Calumpit, because I requested Captain Watanabe not to execute the five Americans in Calumpit, because it would be against the conscience of the Filipinos in that locality, who were all Christians. They were executed outside of Calumpit." In the Barrio of Capalangan about one kilometer from Calumpit.
Source: Testimony of Fausto Carlos (mayor of Calumpit at that time) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946). He commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March.
Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao - witness to the executions.
Q: Will you tell the Commission what you saw?
A: In the month of July a Japanese truck drove by our house. They went to the Capalangan Central School. When they reached the school the Japanese spread out all over the school grounds.
Q: Who was on the truck?
A: Japanese soldiers and American prisoners.
Q: What happened at the school grounds?
A: The Japanese went to the school grounds and three American prisoners dug some graves. After they dug some graves five Americans were lined up, and about 20 Japanese made a firing squad, and after that they fired on them...three of them died and two were still alive...they were dragged to the grave...and finished off with a pistol...after that the Japanese covered them...the next morning the American prisoners take a cross there."
Source: Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz - witness to the executions.
Q: Do you recall an occasion when some American prisoners were shot?
A: Yes, sir. One afternoon a truck passed by and stopped at the Capalangan Central School...I saw that the Americans were ordered to walk towards the school. One of them was blindfolded and he could not walk, so he was helped by some of his companions.
Q: How many American prisoners were there?
A: Seven...and about 20 Japanese...they were brought to the school garden, and three of the Americans were ordered to dig a grave...after they have dug the grave the five Americans were asked to line up. Two of them had their faces towards the Japanese and three had their backs towards them...the Japanese in turn formed themselves in a firing squad and they shot the Americans...three of them died right away, one was beaten by the butt of the rife, the other one was fired at while in the grave...their bodies were covered by earth by the Japanese."
Source: Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Prisoners who were shot 16 July 1942:
Private Henry J. Adams, 19th Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Sgt. Howell A. Emley, Headquarters Company, 194th Tank Battalion
Tec5 Earl G. Smith, Company C, 194th Tank Battalion
Sgt. Alva M. Rogers 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Corporal Corporal Uno C. Gustafson, Quartermaster Corps
After the war his remains were removed from the Capalangan school yard and brought to the 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands – Block 2, Row 2, Grave 200, (D-D No. 10302). The deceased in Manila #2 rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, (father, Mr. Milton W. Wheeler), Sergeant Alva M. Rodgers was buried in his final resting place in the 7701 Ft. McKinley Cemetery (now known as the Manila American Cemetery) – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66.
Service # 6838840
Rank: Sergeant, U. S. Army Air Forces
Unit: 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group
Entered Service From: District of Columbia
Date of Death: 10 July 1942, executed along with four others by the Japanese in the Barrio of Capalangan, Apalit, Pampanga Province, Central Luzon, Philippines
Buried: Manila American Cemetery – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was born Edward Wheeler but changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Edward Wheeler married Freda May McClellan on 26 October 1921. They had five children, Edward Wheeler (1923-1977), Margaret Elizabeth Wheeler Stanley (1925-2007), Ruth Loraine Wheeler Armstrong (1925-1995), Donald M. Wheeler (1928-1956) and Dorothy Marie Wheeler O'Connor (1930-2007).
Edward Wheeler (29 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1930 United States Federal Census (05 April 1930) for Centerville Borough, Washington County, Pennsylvania (sheet 5B, family 85) along with his wife, Freda Wheeler (25 Pennsylvania) and children, Edward Wheeler (7 Pennsylvania), Margaret Wheeler (5 Pennsylvania), Ruth Wheeler (3 Pennsylvania) and Donald Wheeler (1 Pennsylvania). Edward was 20 and Freda 17, when they married. He was a coal miner.
He and Freda divorced about 1930 and he changed his name to Alva M. Rodgers.
Alva M. Rodgers (09 March 1901 Pennsylvania) first enlisted in the U.S. Army on 16 April 1930 in Pittsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 17 April 1930 to 20 April 1936
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class/Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery A on 17 April 1930. He was promoted to Private First Class on 20 April 1931. Alva was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 28 May - 05 June 1931. In June- July 1932 Battery A, was stationed at Fort Hoyle, Maryland. He was absent, sick WRGH from 07 November - 02 December 1932. He was demoted back to Private for being AWOL 27-28 May 1933. Private Rodgers was DS to Fort Hoyle, Maryland from 24 July - 16 September 1933. He was promoted back to Private First Class on 03 November 1933. He was given a furlough from 04 December 1933 to 08 February 1934. Alva was DS to Raritan Arsenal, New Jersey from 30 October 1934 - 14 January 1935. Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers was honorably discharged on 20 April 1936 at Fort Myer, Virginia per ETS.
In 1936 he married Virginia Gertrude Miller Brown.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 09 September 1936 to 29 March 1938.
Battery A, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He reenlisted and joined his old unit, Battery A, on 09 September 1936. Alva was absent sick WRGH from 03 October - 03 November 1936. He was promoted to Private First Class on 10 December 1936. He was given a furlough from 23 July - 21 August 1937. On 29 March 1938, Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840) was given an honorable discharge "per purchase."
Alva M. Rodgers (1900 Pennsylvania), a resident of the District of Columbia, reenlisted as a Private (S/N 6838840) in the U.S. Army on 07 September 1939. He had completed Grammar school.
Monthly Roster of Troops – 07 September 1939 to 31 December 1939.
Battery B, 16th Field Artillery, Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia
Private/Private First Class Alva M. Rodgers (S/N 6838840). He was assigned to and joined Battery B on 07 September 1939. Alva was DS to St Louis, Missouri from 28 September - 09 October 1939. He was promoted to Private First Class on 01 November 1939.
There are no more Monthly Roster of Troops records online after 1939.
Alva M. Rodgers (39 Pennsylvania) is found in the 1940 United States Federal Census (15 May 1940) for Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia (sheet 18A, line. 14) He was a soldier in the U.S. Army. He had lived in Fort Myer, Arlington County, Virginia in 1935.
He was assigned to the 27th Material Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Far East Air Force and sent to the Philippines on 28 June 1940. The 27th Material Squadron was in charge of supplies and aircraft at Nichols Field.
On 08 December 1941 war came to the Philippines. Over the next couple of days Japanese planes virtually destroyed the U.S. Army's Far East Air Force. Japanese forces began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered American and Filipino forces to withdrawal to the Bataan peninsula to be a part of the Bataan Defense Force. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December, and by the 28th, Japanese forces occupied Nichols Field. With no planes, most of the men of the 27th Materiel Squadron on Bataan became became infantrymen.
The newly formed units were referred to as Provisional Infantry Regiment. These Provisional Infantry units were composed of men drawn from maintenance, ordnance, communications, intelligence, ground staff, and aircrew squadrons. In most cases they had never had any infantry combat training. Most had to be taught how to put bullets into their rifles and how to use hand grenades, and how to dig a proper foxhole. It was akin to on-the-job training.
The regiment comprised two battalions: 1st Battalion (Headquarters Squadron of the 20th Air Base Group, 19th Air Base Squadron, 27th Materiel Squadron, 28th Materiel Squadron, and 7th Materiel Squadron); 2nd Battalion (2nd Observation Squadron, 48th Materiel Squadron, Headquarters Squadron of the 27th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Squadron, and 17th Bomb Squadron). Each squadron represented roughly a company-sized element in infantry terms. Although clumsy, at times, comical, and, at times, very shaky, they performed valiantly. It was not pretty, but they did their job.
Capt. John S. Coleman, commander of the 27th Materiel Squadron, described his men's equipment and tactical situation when he stated: "We had 163 men of which an average of about 100 were on the front lines near Orion. We had about 44 back at PNAD [Philip- pine Air Depot], some on crash boat crews, some driving half-tracks, and tanks. We had on the frontline 3 machine guns, of which 2 were water cooled Brown- ing's and one marlin machine gun. We had two BARs; the rest of the enlisted men had .30 caliber rifles and officers had one pistol each. We had 2 grenades each. Some carried 4 each on patrols. The first battalion had about 34 machine guns. About two-thirds of them were machine guns taken off wrecked airplanes, of the .50 caliber class and were too heavy to carry around. Most of these were in front- line trenches and offsets well concealed and fortified by sandbags and sod." Source: The Provisional Air Corps Regiment at
Bataan, 1942, by 2nd Lt. Grant T. Willis, UASF and 2nd Lt. Brendan H. J. Donnelly, USAF (found in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, Fall 2021), page 63.
From the very beginning, Bataan men were cut to 1/2 rations, and very soon, to 1/4 rations. About four weeks later, they were living on 1/8 rations, that is, when food was available to them. Towards the end, it was changed to 1/16th of their rations...Quite often, they would go several days with no food, unless they could catch something in the jungle." Source: Federico Baldassarre letter
In the wake of starvation came diseases, such as malaria, dengue, scurvy, beriberi and amebic dysentery. The average American soldier lost 15-25 pounds and malaria was as high as 35 percent among front line units.
On Good Friday, 03 April 1942, General Homma, with the addition of fresh troops, began an all-out offensive on Bataan. By the evening of 08 April, the situation was clearly hopeless. With ammunition, rations and supplies practically exhausted and most of his best units destroyed, Major General Edward P. King, commander of the forces on Bataan, was convinced his troops could not physically resist any more and decided to surrender to prevent further loss of life. On 09 April 1942, Maj. Gen. King surrendered the Luzon Force to the Japanese. Practically all members of the 27th Materiel Squadron entered captivity malnourished and sick. Sgt. Alva M. Rogers, along with 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March.
When the Fil-American soldiers began the Death March they were in terrible physical condition. For 6 to 9 days (depending on their starting point) they were forced to walk the roughly sixty-five miles to San Fernando, enduring abuse by Japanese guards and seeing the deaths of thousands of fellow soldiers. At San Fernando, the Japanese stuffed about 100 men into steel-sided boxcars for the twenty-five-mile trip to Capas. The scorching hot boxcars were packed so tight that the men could not even sit down. When the train arrived at Capas the POW's were offloaded and marched the final nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Shortly after he was sent to work on the Calumpit Bridge Detail (destroyed by the Americans on 01 January 1942). It is not known if he was one of the original POWs on the detail sent out in May from Camp O'Donnell or if he was one of an additional 40 POWs who came from Cabanatuan in June. Their job was to rebuilt bridges destroyed during the Battle of Luzon.
In July 1942, one of the prisoners escaped (Corporal Gotlieb G. Neigum, H Company, 31st Infantry). As reprisal for the escape, five prisoners from the Calumpit Bridge Detail were executed.
Capalangan, Luzon, Philippines S-2 Report, 03 February 1945
"The prisoners were kept in the schoolhouse at night and in the daytime worked on the bridge at CALUMPIT. The diet was exclusively rice and fish, and many men were sick of malaria, dysentery, beriberi, etc. At one time only 20 of the 120 were able to work. Sick ones were returned to an unidentified concentration camp and exchanged for well ones. They were here from the middle of April until July 1st, 1942, after which they were taken to build another bridge at Cabanatuan. On this trip four men died and were buried on the road between APALIT and SAN FERNANDO. On the same trip an *unidentified prisoner escaped. For this the Jap Commander selected the five "largest Americans" and had them shot. The shooting took place in the CAPALANGAN school yard and was witnessed by the above named Filipinos. The bodies were buried in unnamed graves in the schoolyard. Four of the graves are marked with wooden crosses; the fifth is unmarked.
Source: Investigation of Graves of American POWs in Battalion CP area – Capalangan 14 February 1945; witnesses - Mr. Bernardo Lacanilao and Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie M. Paminez who lived near the church of Capalangan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night of the escape (during a monsoon rainstorm) Captain Watanabe had gone to the home of Fausto Carlos (the mayor of Calumpit) with some Japanese soldiers and "five or six" American war prisoners. Fausto was told that he "should exert all efforts to produce the escaped prisoner, or else ten war prisoners will be killed...according to military law".
At the time Mayor Carlos did not know the name of the American who had escaped "but the next day a guerrilla went to my house and reported to me that the American war prisoner was in their possession, and the name of the American was Neigum, so something like that".
"With the help of his interpreter I asked him not to kill innocent people, because it would be against their propaganda and against the Catholics, because the Filipinos are Catholic."... "The next morning, then, I went there and visited him (Captain Watanabe), and brought two or three chickens, and some eggs, maybe two dozen eggs, just to convince him for my request."
"The result was that after two or three days he told me that instead of ten Americans only five would be killed."..."They were not executed in Calumpit, because I requested Captain Watanabe not to execute the five Americans in Calumpit, because it would be against the conscience of the Filipinos in that locality, who were all Christians. They were executed outside of Calumpit." In the Barrio of Capalangan about one kilometer from Calumpit.
Source: Testimony of Fausto Carlos (mayor of Calumpit at that time) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946). He commanded the Japanese 14th Army, which invaded the Philippines and perpetrated the Bataan Death March.
Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao - witness to the executions.
Q: Will you tell the Commission what you saw?
A: In the month of July a Japanese truck drove by our house. They went to the Capalangan Central School. When they reached the school the Japanese spread out all over the school grounds.
Q: Who was on the truck?
A: Japanese soldiers and American prisoners.
Q: What happened at the school grounds?
A: The Japanese went to the school grounds and three American prisoners dug some graves. After they dug some graves five Americans were lined up, and about 20 Japanese made a firing squad, and after that they fired on them...three of them died and two were still alive...they were dragged to the grave...and finished off with a pistol...after that the Japanese covered them...the next morning the American prisoners take a cross there."
Source: Testimony of Lucila Lacanilao (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz - witness to the executions.
Q: Do you recall an occasion when some American prisoners were shot?
A: Yes, sir. One afternoon a truck passed by and stopped at the Capalangan Central School...I saw that the Americans were ordered to walk towards the school. One of them was blindfolded and he could not walk, so he was helped by some of his companions.
Q: How many American prisoners were there?
A: Seven...and about 20 Japanese...they were brought to the school garden, and three of the Americans were ordered to dig a grave...after they have dug the grave the five Americans were asked to line up. Two of them had their faces towards the Japanese and three had their backs towards them...the Japanese in turn formed themselves in a firing squad and they shot the Americans...three of them died right away, one was beaten by the butt of the rife, the other one was fired at while in the grave...their bodies were covered by earth by the Japanese."
Source: Testimony of Bienvenido Cruz (witness to the executions) at the trial of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma (January 1946).
Prisoners who were shot 16 July 1942:
Private Henry J. Adams, 19th Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Sgt. Howell A. Emley, Headquarters Company, 194th Tank Battalion
Tec5 Earl G. Smith, Company C, 194th Tank Battalion
Sgt. Alva M. Rogers 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Air Corps
Corporal Corporal Uno C. Gustafson, Quartermaster Corps
After the war his remains were removed from the Capalangan school yard and brought to the 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands – Block 2, Row 2, Grave 200, (D-D No. 10302). The deceased in Manila #2 rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948. From there, according to the wishes of his next of kin, (father, Mr. Milton W. Wheeler), Sergeant Alva M. Rodgers was buried in his final resting place in the 7701 Ft. McKinley Cemetery (now known as the Manila American Cemetery) – Plot A, Row 15, Grave 66.
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