from
Class 6-A, of the Air Mechanics Class on 1 March 1940, I was shipped to the
Philippine Islands, arriving there on July 20, 1940. I was a member of the
20th Air Base Squadron, attached to the 28th Bomb Squadron at Clark Field
for quarters, rations, and orders.
When the 28th. Materiel Squadron was formed, I became a member of that unit and I remained at Clark until 1 March 1941 when I transferred to the 20th Pursuit Squadron at Nichols Field.
The 20th Pursuit moved to Clark Field on July 1, 1941 and we were there when the war started. We had lived in Hanger #1 until Dec.1, when we moved into the newly constructed barracks where we lived one week before heading for the boonies. I remained with this outfit until capture.
After the death march I arrived at Camp O'Donnell on April 21,
and remained there until assigned the Gapan Bridge Detail, arriving
at Gapan on or around May 10. The bridge detail was sent to
Cabanatuan Camp 1 toward the later part of June, and I remained
there cutting wood for galley #2 until the 2000 man detail left
camp early in October. I shipped on the Jap ship Tottori Maru and
arrived in Mukden Manchuria on November 11, 1942, where I remained
until liberation August 15, 1945.
James E. Brown