Bataan Project News Today

Delbert Kohler survived the Bataan Death March, but not captivity, while Russell Haukedahl died after saving his ship from an attacking warplane.

The last letter River Forest residents Fred and Anna Jannisch received from their son, Corporal Fred Jannisch, indicated that he was feeling “pretty good.” Writing from the Philippines, he complimented the Army cooks for making rice somewhat palatable three times a day but complained about the exorbitant cost of cigarettes. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, nor does anyone else for that matter, but we all do know that it can’t last forever and we’re bound to be home som...

JANESVILLE The men of a Janesville tank company were among the many thousands of Americans who witnessed the deaths of those we honor this weekend. The horror stayed with these World War II soldiers, sometimes so strongly that it warped their spirits. Such was Forrest Knox, one of the Janesville 99, as we now call the men of Company A. “He was post-traumatic syndrome before they had a good name for it,” said one of his six children, John Knox. Forrest could be cruel, and he drank, sai...