Raymond Eugene Walker

Raymond Eugene Walker was born January 5, 1920 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. He was the son of Luther and Chloe (Myers) Walker. They moved here not long after his birth, and he went to Pocahontas Public Schools until 1934. He was in the sixth grade. After that he worked at Sallee's Saw Mill. He entered service on February 3, 1941. He was sent to California for boot camp training at Angel Island. He was assigned to Battery H of the 59th Coast Artillery. Soon after that he was sent to Corregidor, Phillipines. This was still before the war broke out. Then when Pearl Harbor was bombed (December 7) the Japanese bombed the northern part of the Phillipines. They bombed and stryfed Corregidor for months, until the main battle, on May 5th and 6th of 1942. When the Japanese sliped a bomb in one of the 12" Mortars on Corregidor, it created a huge explosion, and Walker was buried in one of the fox holes. They had to dig him out. After fighting for 2 days straight the courageous Yanks were forced to surrender. They were down to 1/4th rations, men were starved, before the battle, because the lack of food, and supplies. It was definately "No Mama, No Papa, and NO uncle Sam." They had hopes that reinforcements would be brought in before they were forced to give up. Men were fighting with nothing more that Pistol's, and Rifle's. Raymond Walker was captured on May 6th, 1942 on Corregidor. He was a prisoner of the Japanese government. He was taken to the 92nd Garage Area (on Corregidor) where he stayed for a few days. Then the Japanese packed them up and put them on ships. On these ships the men were fed "fish soup." This was nothing but raw fish guts and heads. Scraps that the Japanese did not eat. He was taken to Mainland Phillipines, and was in Cabanatuan Prison Camp. A letter was sent to his mother, Chloe Walker, that he was Missing In Action. For almost a year they did not know if he was dead or alive. On one of the prisoner ships he was One of Four survivors out of 1,800 on one of the ships that sunk. The rest is left unsaid. The rest is things you would not want to know. He was beaten, starved, and worst of all: left with a memory that would haunt him till his death. This led him to a drinking problem for the rest of his life. When he enlisted he weighed about 175 lbs. When he was released he weighed about 100 lbs., and this was after the fattening up process. When the men were released from these camps, the army fed them lots to have them gain weight quickly so when they arrived home they would not look that bad. In 1946 he married Pauline Capps in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. They had six children: Johnny, Gary, Ronnie, Katherine, Wanda, and Helen. In 1958 Walker was killed in a 3 car collision in Wayne, Michigan.