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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1945)
Sgt. Bill Lorton of Medford Tells Harrowing Experience As Prisoner Of Japs; Escape From Transport A Medford soldier who stood guard duty at Del Monte field in the Philippine islands the night Gen. Douglas MacArthur was evacuated from the islands, and who heard the general's now famous farewell words, "I shall return," is now back in Medford trying to forget the two and one half years he spent as a prisoner of war of the Japanese, "It was like coming back to a foreign country," said Staff Sgt. Bill J. Lorton. His miraculous escape from enemy hands occur red last September 7 when 83 American officers and enlisted men survived the sinking of Japanese transport which was taking 750 prisoners from one is land to another. Lorton was shot in the right shoulder by the Japs as the boat sank. Handicapped by the shattered shoulder, he swam about five miles, evading the patroling Jap whaleboats on which were mounted machine guns, finally reaching an island where friendly' Filipino natives gave the men food and tobacco. Three Weeks On Isle Sgt. Lorton, then a corporal, and his companions spent about three weeks on the island before being taken off by American submarines. First landing at New Guinea, the men were flown from there to Australia where they were hospitalized and the wounded men were treated. In addition to the crushed shoulder, the sergeant had 11 pieces of shrapnel removed from his back. Food was one of the main in terests of the rescued men for the next few weeks. All of the men were in a half-starved con dition from the effects of the slender prisoner diet. "We all ate 24 hours a day,". Sgt. Lorton said. The sergeant, not a large cn, has gained 63 pounds in weight since his escape. It was while the men were in Australia that the army released officially the news of their escape and their names, and the sergeant's relatives here received the joy ful news. No direct word from him had been received since April 10, 1042. Receives Decoration The former prisoner arrived In a California port November 5 na volunteered to go to Wash ington where he spent nine days answering questions for officers of the military intelligence branch. While there he was in troduced to General .Marshall, chief of staff, and Secretary of war btimson, and was decorated by the war department. Uiven a class one priority on commercial airlines, Sgt. Lorton flew to Corpus Christi,, Tex. where he visited with his broth er, G. A. Lorton, AMM 1e In the navy. Sgt. Lorton army career be gan in 1938 when he enlisted January 4. He served at Scho- field Barracks In Hawaii, with the Uth field artillery, from February S of 1938, until Decem ber 18 of 1940, studying photo graphy in his spare time. He was discharged in January of 1941 and reenllsted in the air corps at Ft Douglas, Utah, where he was stationed for a time with headquarters and headquarters squadron of the 5th air base group as assistant chief of sec tion and laboratory superintend ent of the base photo lab. With the rumblings of war coming closer, Sgt. Lorton's or ganization left San Francisco late in October of 1941, the last to do so and to reach the Philip pines before the fateful Decem ber attack of the Japs. He was at Clark Field on Luzon island on December 8, (Dec. 7 here) when the enemy attack was made on Pearl Harbor. In Bataan Siege Lorton was on the island of Bataan for two months during the siege of the Islands and then was sent to Corregidor for one week with an anti-aircraft unit Transferred then to Del Monte field on Mindanao, second largest of the Philippine group, he serv ed as an anti-aircraft machine gunner. He was on guard duty when both Gen. MacArthur and President Manuel Quezon were taken off by plane, the former March 19, 1942, and the latter March 25. The islands capitulat ed May 10. The soldier was first interned at Camp Casisang, near the city of Malaybalay, staying there un til October 17. His group was taken by truck to Cagayan, from there by ship to Lasang where they marched 52 kilometers, 35 miles, to the former Davao penal colony which had been made into a prison camp. This was not the infamous march of death now familiar to everyone in this country, this march having taken place earlier on Luzon. However, the sergeant relates that he had had yellow jaundice for six days upon arrival at the camp and was In poor physical condition. Little medicine or medical atten tion was given the prisoners. Stricken By Malaria These men, chosen because of the comparatively good condi tion, were put to work in rice field and vegetable gardens of the islands. On December 18 of that year Sgt. Lorton came down with malaria, his fever rising to 107.3 degrees, and he has sur vived 37 subsequent attacks of 221 W. Main Phone 8550 HOrtfE km AUTO SUPPLIES Firestone Pre-wsr Willow Clothes Baskets $3.98 Fiieston. La Bonita D IN NERWARE0?" 20 sc. S5.95 - 45 pc. SI 5.95 Firestone FIRE KING LUNCHEON SET $3.79 Firestone Capistrano - Mission Pottery 20 piece $3.95 Eiectnc WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER Small Size 59c Fiieston New Glass Top SERVING TRAYS $1.75 GREEN SLABS 12 INCH OR 16 INCH LENGTHS 300 CU. FT. LOAD DIAL 2123 Timber P $575 DIAL 2123 Company Watch for These Three Nazi Spies 0 MAX C. J. SCHNEEMANN. HANS R. C. ZUEHLSDORFF. OSCAR MAX .WILMS. Director J. Edgar Hoover of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked the publlo to be on the lookout foi these three Oermao agenu believed to be under orders to enier tne U. b. ana engage In espionage sua saoo t&ge. Bctuieemana is a feet 11 Indies tall, weighs about 160 pouads, has a Uanucla.,) wtlooea ou hu rigut lure aria. Zutulsduru, &, Is b leet tall, ueyns aoout MU puunoo, uus mo scars ou ills lignt loreiieaa. Yvums, 37. b leel t uieaa tail, weigniug Ul pounds, speid luuusa wilU ouiy a slum accent Doughboys Advance Through Luzon Rice Paddies hAAtTZi 2!; TWx t. :tv .w -1 m ft v. , 5 n Ml fir "Hi f'V if (Acmt Telephoto) Pushing forward single file through rice fields, these American infantrymen advance from oeacnheads ueai Blnmaley, Luzon, us they pursue Mips in face of light opposition. Photo by Wlllard Hatch, NBA-Acme photog rapher (or War Picture Pool. this tropical disease. Of the approximately 2,000 prisoners in the penal colony, 650 were selected for a work de tail and taken to Lasang March 2, 1944. The men were there un til early August when ordered to leave, along with 100 men from another camp. All were put aboard a Jap freighter on Sep tember 7. - ' ' For some time small bombing attacks had been made on the islands by American planes and as the freighter prepared to leave the port bombs fell, Lorton re members. About 4:30 p. m. the freighter was torpedoed twice by an American submarine. Both the stern and bow were blown off. 'I remember thinking, 'this Is the end,' the sergeant related, 'but I soon found myself in the pen water." Sometime during the struggle and confusion he re ceived the shoulder and back wounds and started his painful swim to the neighboring island. Sgt. Lorton, who is forbidden by the war department to give much specific in forma toin about his life as a prisoner, says tne work days began with a 5 a. m. breakfast, with work starting at 6:30 a. m, A two-hour rest was permitted at noon, work ceased about 4:30 p. m. and lights were out at 0 p. m. Some of the camps had small libraries furnished by the Red Cross, but the small number of books were- continu ally in use and hardly ever available. No work was done on Sunday and prisoner chaplains conduct ed Catholic and Protestant serv ices and a Jewish layman con ducted services for men of that faith. Rice Mala Food Rice was the principal Item of food served at all meals in all camps. Breakfast was rice, with perhaps some fresh fish, dinner and supper menus were usually rice with about half a cup of vegetable soup. An occasional "vegetable dinner" consisted of boiled camotes, a native vege table similar -to our sweet po tato. There was tea of poor qua! ity but no coffee or milk. Forbidden to discuss prisoner treatment the escaped soldier merely said "Everything you have heard is probably true. Sgt. Lorton said that Gen. Jona than Wainright, taken prisoner when the Islands fell, was very popular with his men. 'They did everything in their power to break our morale," Lorton relates, "but something in the American make-up refus ed to be broken. Most of us simply didn't, believe what we were told. If the Japs said 30 American ships were sunk, we just reversed it and believed the Japs had lost that many. If they boasted of taking an island, or winning a battle, we just decid ed that they had probably lost those islands or battles. Since I have returned home I have found out that sometimes we were right." Mail arrived twice, nearly 40,- 000 letters being received on one date in 1044. No personal prison er of war packages were ever distributed. Many Citations Sgt. Lorton wears the good- conduct medal, the American de fense modal with a bronze stnr. the Southwest Pacific theater ' HEALTH TO YOU! Correct fteetaf, Colon AllmtnH Remorrhotdg (PUtB), fto. lur, flsliuo. Hernia (Sup-. Iur) ditroy haltli-powr I to Mra-abUfty 1 or 1U. I Our Ihod of HoalmoBt 1 without hoioltal oooratloB I uccctifuUf employed for 1 7 "a: . uocai CTOOll forms. Call for xamlnolloa 4 M ind tot ntU kooklok Open fveningi, Mori., Woo"., hi., 7 to I X Dr. C.J. DEAN CLINIC Physician siitf imrfm W. 1. Cot. t. Bui.i!d end Otni At. Tlt)photi EAit 3tll, Peril trad 14. Ojon F AT ANNUAL ME Mrs. Scott Davis was elected commissioner of the Medford Girl Scout council at the annual meeting held last week. Mrs. Davis had been serving as com missioner, filling out the unex pired term of Mrs. Myron Root who resigned several weeks ago, Mrs. w. H. Helchstein was named vice-commissioner, Mrs. R. A. Work, secretary, and Mrs. E. H. Judd, treasurer. Mrs. R. B. Hamblin was named executive secretary of the council. In addition to the officers other council members who will serve the coming year are Mrs. Don Newbury, Mrs. Harry Ol son, Mrs. C. B. Collins, Mrs. Everett Faber, Mrs. Lester Har ris, Mrs. Arnold Bohneit, Mrs. John Larwood, Mrs. O. A. Eden, Mrs. Clarence Meeker, Mrs. D. M. Zies and Mrs. C. W. Anhorn. Past commissioners and other women who have been of out standing service to the council make up an advisory board. On the board presently are Mrs. H. D. Bylngton, Mrs. Leonard Car penter, Mrs. Paul Janney, Mrs. C. M.' Kldd, Mrs. C. Rease Wednesday, Jan. U, 194S MEDFORD MAIL TRIEUTTE FIT! Braley, Mrs, Raymond Driver, Mrs. Porter Neff, Mrs. R. E. Green, Mrs. Gordon Voorhles, Miss Helen BuUli and Mr. My ron Root Oh Moil Tribune Want Ada. The HOTEL MEDFORD'S Popular 10 uml Where You Meet. Your Friends NOW OPEN 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P. M. ribbon with two stars, the purple heart with two oak leaf clusters, the presidential citation with two oak leaf clusters, the wings of an air crew member (combat photographer), two s e r v i c stripes and six overseas stripes, While in Medford the sergeant is visiting his father, E. E. Lor ton of Stewart avenue, and two brothers, Jack Lorton of Jack sonville and R. D. Lorton of Ash land. Sgt. Lorton has about 40 days left of a 90-day furlough and la hopeful that he can find "diver Using" employment for the re mainder of his stay here. He re ports upon expiration of his fur lough to the air force redistribu tion station at Miami Beach, Fla. The sergeant has taken up resi dence at 143 South Holly street. Cloalns time for Classified Ada 9 m. Too Lata to Claaslfy 12:30 IIJJ I I II For un about any auto supply II fiL I Ml ltcrn your nearby Helpful Assocl- t0mH yeifi&$ II a ted Dealer Is the man to see. You'll ftiQiiilJI 1 be surprised at bla stock of top VtTTSSJs "rJI quality products: batteries, tires, VTTwjHj-i j Jy wiper blades, oil filters, polishes laatliil to name a few. You'll be pleased to I deal with him, for conveniinct: yzttrjgjt one-stop service right in your Maas neighborhood; for tttUtcl'um be . Sffff- S"! stocks only top quality brands you 'ave known for years such as f '"kt Champion, Purolitor, War- iaai!J'ny,l ncr, Schrader, Rainmaster. 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CENTRAL CHILDREN'S SLIPPERS 1.27 All colors. Pom pom, fur trim and chenilles. Popular styles. YOUTHS' oxfords, 97 to 2.47 Wing tip. Moccasin toes. Lea ther and composition soles. CORRECTIVE Arch Support shoes 2.47 t0 2.97 In attractive women's styles. PHONE 3930 M ontgomeryWard
