Updated on May 22, 2008
Sr. Vice Comdr. John H. Oliver
A Short Biography

 

    Born: 1922 in Crocket Texas.   Attended school there.
    Moved with family to San Antonio, TX at age 17.
    Spent a year in the CCC.
    Volunteered for Army Air Corps in June 1941.
    Boot camp at Hamilton Field, CA.

    Shipped to P.I. in October to join the 19th Bomb. Gp. at Clark Field.   The 701st Ord. Avn. Co.
    was in the process of moving to Del Monte Air Base on Mindanao when the war started.
    Was loading ship with our trucks and busses in the Pasig River in Manila.  Very lucky to escape to
    Del Monte, arriving there on December 18th, thereby missing most of the fighting and the Death March.

    We kept contact with the outside world with our B17 bombers that escaped to Australia.   Did guard
    duty at Del Monte Club in machine gun pits while Gen. MacArthur and President Quezon were being
    flown out.   We were able to use our machine shop and welding shop busses to build ground mounts
    for the machine guns that we salvaged from the destroyed air craft.   We also made land mines with
    dynamite in one-gallon pineapple cans.   Even made a tank from a weapons carrier.   These were sorely
    needed by our ground forces as our island was invaded the same week that the war started.   Except for
    bombing and strafing, we had a good war.   We managed to hold out until we were surrendered by Gen.
    Sharp on May 10, 1942.

    Was interned at Malaybalay until September 1942, then shipped to Bilibid for a while.   Herded aboard
    the Tottori Maru, a "Hellship", for a long, hard voyage to Japan.   The ship dodged the American
    torpedoes fired at us on the first morning just off Luzon.   Finally arrived in Kawasaki on November 13,
    1942.   Worked for Mitsui, Japan Steel, Showa Dinko, Simpaku and other slave labor jobs on starvation
    diet.   Survived the fire bombing (by our own 19th Bomb. Gp.) until everything around us was burned
    out in July 1945; then was transferred to Hitachi to work in the copper smelter.   Dodged a few bullets,
    rockets and even 16-inch shells from the battleship Iowa until August 14th when we struggled into
    Yokohama to be met by the 1st Cavalry.   They did not recognize us as Americans until we told them
    we were POWs.

    Finally got home on November 11, 1945.
    Discharged on June 13, 1946.
    Wife, Dawn - 4 children.

    Served  as National Commander of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor
    for the 2003-2004 year.   I was blessed and privileged to have been elected Commander
    of this unique group of heroes.

        -- John Oliver,  August 2002 & May 2008