Ross Betts

Staunton R. Betts (1920 California), a resident of Mendocino County, California, enlisted as a Private (S/N 19051987) in the U.S. Army Air Corps on 14 February 1941 in San Francisco, California. He was single, had completed 4 years of high school and had been working as a "Unskilled lumbermen, raftsmen, and woodchoppers". Staunton was described as 5' 6" in height, 139 lbs., with blue eyes and brown hair.

Private Staunton R. Betts was assigned to the 34th Pursuit Squadron, U.S. Army Air Corps. The 34th Pursuit Squadron was stationed at Kelly Field, Texas, and Hamilton Field, California. They were equipped with Seversky P-35A fighters.

With the possibility of war looming on the horizon, the 34th was sent to the Philippine Islands. They left San Francisco, California on 01 November 1941 aboard the PRESIDENT COOLIDGE (passenger ship turned troop transport). On board with the 34th would be squadrons of the 27th Bomb Group; the 16th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Squadron, 48th Material Squadron, 91st Bomb Squadron, and Headquarters Squadron, plus the 454 Ordnance Squadron, and a chemical detachment. Also on board would be the following units: 5th Air Base Group and the 1st Pursuit Squadron. The COOLIDGE arrived in Manila on 20 November (via Hawaii and Guam). "The men were disembarked off the Coolidge as a Philippine military band played patriotic music. Trucks were lined up waiting to transport the men to Fort McKinley. The COOLIDGE was the last desperately needed reinforcement for General McArthur."

Upon arrival the 34th Pursuit Squadron was assigned to Del Carmen Field, Luzon. It was located to the south of Clark Field in Pampanga Province and west of Barrio Floridablanca.  With their planes not yet having arrived the 21st Pursuit Squadron transferred some of its Seversky P-35A fighters to the squadron. Those P-35As were manufactured originally for the Swedish Air Force. On 24 October 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order requisitioning all the undelivered EP-106 aircraft and impressing them into the USAAC. These were designated P-35A by the Army, and 40 planes were sent to the Philippines during 1941 to bolster the islands' defenses. The 34th Pursuit Squadron had only been in the country a little over a month before war with Japan broke out.

"HAWAII BOMBED–WAR!" On 07 December 1941 Japan attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. Ten hours later, 08 December 1941 (Manila time), Japan attacked the Philippines. After the initial Japanese strikes on Clark and Nichols Fields, the Japanese struck at Del Carmen. With only a few minutes notice of the attack, the 34th pursuit pilots prepared to meet the enemy formations. However, the Seversky P-35A fighter planes were completely *inadequate for the task. By late 1941 standards, the P-35A was hopelessly obsolescent. It was too lightly armed and lacked either armor around the cockpit or self-sealing fuel tanks. Consequently, the squadron pilots stood little chance against the Japanese Zero fighters and were badly mauled. Most of the aircraft were quickly shot down in combat or else were destroyed on the ground. The Squadron was wiped out.

*they were scheduled to get new planes but those planes never arrived before war broke out with Japan.

The series of raids caught most US planes on the ground, destroying the 19th Bomb Group's B-17s at Clark Field and practically wiping out the P-35 and P-40 pursuit fighter squadrons based at Clark, Nichols, Del Carmen, and Iba Fields. In less than 24 hours, the first day of WWII in the Pacific, the US lost much of its fleet at Pearl Harbor and the heart of MacArthur's Air Force in the Philippines.

Japanese forces (14th Army under Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma) began a full-scale invasion of Luzon on 22 December. In response, General Douglas MacArthur activated War Plan Orange. This plan called for the withdrawal of American and Philippine forces to the Bataan Peninsula, where they could await reinforcements from Hawaii and the U.S.... reinforcements that never came.

With no planes, the men of the 34th Pursuit Squadron became part of the Bataan Defense Force by the end of December. The ground echelon of the 34th Pursuit Squadron was moved from Del Carmen Field to Orani, and from there to Aglaloma Point where it went into position on beach defense. The bulk of the group's personnel became infantrymen.

After enduring four months of combat, hunger, and illness, Staunton R. Betts was surrendered with the rest of the Luzon Force on 09 April 1942. He, 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.

In early May 1942 he (along with his older brother, Edwin) were part of a group of prisoners from Camp O'Donnell sent to work on the Lumban Bridge Detail, in Lumban, Laguna. On 11 June 1942 one of the POW 's escaped. The next day the Japanese selected ten men to be executed. Corporal Staunton R. Betts was one of the ten.

The 10 men shot by the Japanese on 12 June 1942:

Cpl. Staunton R. Betts (S/N 19051987), 34th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Corps

Pvt. John Dudash (S/N 17030855), 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, U.S. Army Air Corps

Sgt. Bernard C. Knopick (S/N 13007418), 7th Chemical Company, Aviation

Pvt. Wade Harrison Rodgers (S/N14037539), Ordinance Department

Cpl. John B. Wiezorek (S/N6288207), 3rd Squadron, 24th Air Group, U.S. Army Air Corps

Pfc. Oscar Romanus Gordon (S/N 19054657), 680 Ordnance Company (Aviation Pursuit), Ordnance Corps, U.S. Army

Tec4 Percival H. Hollyman (S/N 17024097), Quartermaster Corps, U.S. Army

Sgt. Isaac Landry (S/N 6357475), Air Depot, U.S. Army Air Corps

Cpl. David Alfred Rees (S/N 19051507), 34th Pursuit Squadron, U.S. Army Air Corps

Sgt. James L. Turner (S/N 6291029), 28th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Corps

*Cpl. George Lightman (S/N 6913604), 3rd Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, was the prisoner who escaped. He was later recaptured by the Japanese and also executed.

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The morning of the execution all the POWs were silent. Finally, one of those selected to be executed asked the American commanding officer if there was some way he could stop the execution. The officer simply said, "No." Another of the chosen men simply said, "I guess I'll never see Denver again." Still another of the "selected" POWs was the brother of another POW on the detail. Even though other POWs offered to take his place, the Japanese would not allow the switch. The prisoners were offered blindfolds but refused them. They were lined up next to their grave and shot by a 10-man firing squad.

Cpl. John B. Wiezorek (6288387) saluted and said "God Bless America".

Cpl. David A. Rees (19051507) saluted.

Pfc. Percival H. Hollyman (17024097 Laraine, Wy.).

These refused blindfold:

Sgt. Benard C. Knopick (13007418)

Sgt. Isaac Landry (6359475) One of the two men who survived the first shots. He shouted "Long live America" and "finish me off".

Sgt. James Lewis Turner (629129), Denver

Cpl. Stanton R. Betts (19051507), Staunton called out to his older brother Edwin, whom he called "Jack" standing among the horrified captive audience. "Take it easy, Jack, I'll be all right. And take care of Mother."

Pfc. Oscar Gordon (19054657)

Pfc. Wade H. Rodgers (14037539) Jefferson, S. C.

Pfc. John Dudash (17030855)

8 of the men dropped with the 1st volley; one man asked for another shot. The Japs fired more to kill all who moved. Source: Major Calvin F. Chunn Diary (Book 2), pages 45-46.

The ten men were buried in two common graves at the Lumban School Yard, Laguna Province, Philippines. Interestingly, according to the diary of Major Calvin F. Chunn, he wrote that a "Jap Sgt. Major cried & decorated graves."

a. Burial in same grave:

Sgt. Benard Clarence Knopick, 13007418

Sgt. Isaac Landry, 6359475)

Sgt. James Lewis Turner, 6291029

b. Burial in same grave:

Cpl. Stanton Rose Betts, 19051507

Cpl. David Alfred Rees, 19051507

Cpl. John Bernard Wiezorek, 6288387

Pfc. Oscar Gordon, 19054657

Pfc. Percival Hebdon Hollyman, 17024097

Pfc. Wade Harrison Rodgers, 14037539

Pfc. John Dudash, 17030855

After the war their remains were disinterred and brought to 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Philippine Islands. Two of the men were found with identification tags on their bodies – Sgt. Benard C. Knopick (2 I.D. tags) and Pfc. Wade H. Rodgers (2 I.D. tags).

Although casualty reports list names of deceased buried in the Lumban School Yard bodies were not buried in sequence and identity of individual remains could not be determined. Eight of the ten were given an "X" number and buried as "unknowns" in 7747 USAF Cemetery, Manila #2 (Unknown X–82 thru X–89). They rested there until their removal to the American Graves Registration Service Manila Mausoleum in the summer of 1948 for positive identification. There they became Unknown X–379 thru X–386.

On 19 January 1949 the Board of Review recommended:

X–381 be approved as T/4 Percival H. Hollyman 17 024 097

X–382 be approved as Cpl. James H. Turner 6 291 029

X–383 be approved as Sgt. Isaac Landry 6 357 475

X–385 be approved as Cpl. David A. Rees 19 051 507

X–386 be approved as Pfc. Oscar Gordon 19 054 657

However on 23 November 1949, their recommendations were disapproved. "After an extensive study of these cases, it is considered that the evidence presented cannot be interpreted as sufficient for individual identification. Available Army dental records for the decedents do not indicate any outstanding dental features that would lead to conclusive individual identifications. The similarity of the physical records for the decedents precludes positive associations on the basis of estimated weight and height.

"The excellent circumstantial evidence and recovery of other decedents associated with these cases indicated that consideration should be given to a group identification of the five remains.

"The Board Proceeding are therefore disapproved and returned herewith."

FOR THE QUARTERMASTER GENERAL

T. H. METZ

Lt. Colonel, QMC

Memorial Division

Source: Individual Deceased Personnel File (I.D.P.F.) – PFC Oscar Gordon (ASN 19054657)

14 September 1950

Proceedings of the Field Board recommending the following identifications have been approved:

"Unknown X–380, AGRS Mausoleum Manila (formerly X–88, USAF Cemetery, Manila #2), Unit 1, Page 2, as Pvt. John B. WIEZOREK, 6288207.

"Unknown X–379, AGRS Mausoleum Manila (formerly X–84, USAF Cemetery, Manila #2), Unit 1, Page 2, as Cpl. Staunton R. BETTS, 19051987.

"Unknown X–384, AGRS Mausoleum Manila (formerly X–82, USAF Cemetery, Manila #2), Unit 1, Page 2, as Pvt. John DUDASH, 17035855.

"Unknowns X–383, X–382, X–385, X–386, X–381, formerly Unknowns X–83, X–85 thru X–87, X–89, interred in USAF Cemetery, Manila #2, Luzon, P.I., Plot 2, Row 1, Graves 79, 81, 82, 83, 85; now stored in AGRS Mausoleum, Manila, P.I., Hanger 801, Bay C, Crypts 554, 553, 556, 557, 552; as a group identification for Group Burial, as individual identity cannot be established: GORDON, Oscar, Pfc. 19054657; HOLLYMAN, Percival H., T/4, 17024097; LANDRY, Isaac, Sgt., 6357475; REES, David A., Cpl., 19051507; TURNER, James L., Sgt., 6291029." Source: Individual Deceased Personnel File (I.D.P.F.) – PFC Oscar Gordon (ASN 19054657)

The remains of five of the ten men could not be individually identified. Those five, by administrative decision, were buried together on 06 December 1950 in the Ft. McPherson National Cemetery, Maxwell, Lincoln County, Nebraska – Section F, Site, 1201, ab and c.

Corporal Betts (Unknown X–84 then Unknown X–379) was one of the three unknowns able to be identified. Once he was positively identified he was reinterred in Manila No. 2 cemetery – Plot 2, Row 1, Grave 80. According to the wishes of his next of kin (father, Joshua F. Betts), Corporal Staunton Ross Betts' remains were disinterred (28 September 1950) from Grave 80 and shipped back to the U.S. On 11 January 1951 he was buried in his final resting place in the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California – Plot N, Grave 63.

Source material provided by John Duresky.