He fought for about four months with very little food or medical supplies. While he never got into hand to hand combat he told me that he was forced to kill at a distance of five feet to survive.
On April 9th 1942 he and about 75,000 men WERE surrendered by General King to stop a total slaughter. That is when he was forced to endure the Bataan Death March of about 65 miles after nearly no food for four months. The Japanese were not prepared for the number of men that WERE surrendered. They were brutal with many beheadings and bayonetings. Once they got to Camp O'Donnell there were up to two hundred deaths a day, due largely to starvation and disease.
Death March Photos - Click for a Larger View
In about mid 1943 he was sent to Japan as slave labor. He was put on what became known as the Hell Ships. Many were sank by our own Navy because they had no insignia on them to let the Navy know that there were US POW'S on them. Men were put into the holes of these ships packed into them so tight that many times they had to stand up with only a five gallon bucket for drinking water and a five gallon bucket for the sanitary needs of as many as 700 men for days at a time in sweltering heat. Men died there and were left there.
At the lowest his weight dropped to about 85lbs.
Larry
Below is a Map of the Route for the Bataan Death March - Click for a Larger View