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By LES SELLNOWIt was 25 years ago that many Brainerd homes were touched with tragedy when the Bataan Peninsula on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines fell to | the Japanese.On Sunday, April 9, Brainerd will take time out to pay tribute to those who survived, those who did not and those who waited at home—many times in vain for the return of sons, husbands and fathers.The immediate relatives of at least six of the men of the old 194th who died either on Bataan or during the ensuing months of imprisonment still live here and their memories of those days; are still vivid. iMrs. Evelyn Paine, 311 North 5th, remembers with clarity how she finally heard about her son Donald’s death. It came that morning when shop wrhistles blew and bells rang as Brainerd residents with people the country over rejoiced that the warj had ended.IDonald Paine had been captured on Bataan along with the; rest of the Americans and that; was the last his parents heard until that August day in 1945.Mrs. Paine and her husband, who has since died, were listening and rejoicing w'ith the rest of the world that morning—until their doorbell rang. At the door was a messenger with a telegram. It told them that theirson would not be one of those returning.He had died Nov. 23, 1942, in one of the prison camps on Luzon.“I suppose he starved to death,” Mrs. Paine said.Herbert Strobel, 25, unmarried and considered a kind, helpful son by his mother, was the first to die during the battle for the island when his tank took a direct hit by an artillery shell.Mrs. Bertha Strobel, his mother who now lives at 416 First Avenue, N.E., remembers how she received the news a short time later on Jan. 12, 1942.Her son, John, who now lives on Route 5, brought the message, “I knew by the look on his face that he had heard something about Herbert, she said. Many other friends came too, to offer comfort.‘‘Everybody knew it and they all came,” she recalled.Gerald Bell, son of Jim Bell, who still lives here, was also one of the first to die w’hen he and a buddy were surrounded by Japanese and cut dow-n by machine gun bullets.All the Bells knew for four long years was that their son was missing in action.He was 19 years of age when he left Brainerd.Manv members of the old•w194th wrere mere youths, but there were others wrho were older and were supporting a wife and children.One of these was Walter Sam-uelson, who at 38 years of agewas given an opportunity to stav behind. The National Guard ruled that because of his age and family status, he could remain in the states. He chose togo.His son. Don, who lives in Brainerd, recalls that the family went along as far as Fort Lewis, Wash. The younger Samuelsonwas eight years old at the time The family also includes an older sister who now lives in Anoka.‘Til always remember when they left,” Samuelson said “They had been out training and when the tanks rolled through town my dad threw out a note for my mother that she should come out and pick him up.”BATAAN DAYI Continued on Page 2
Newspaper Details
Brainerd Daily Dispatch
Brainerd, Minnesota, US
Sat, Apr 08, 1967
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
James O.
USA 03 Nov 2019
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