History
WWII POW who died in Philippines in 1942 laid to rest in Oregon
Stars and Stripes
September 15, 2024
Framed family photos, military awards and tributes rest on a remembrance table for U.S. Army Pvt. Billy E. Calkins at Fir Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Hillsboro, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2024. (John Hughel/Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)
The remains of U.S. Army Pvt. William E. Calkins were laid to rest Saturday in Hillsboro, Ore., nearly 82 years after he died in a POW camp in the Philippines.
Calkins was buried at Fir Lawn Memorial Park with full military honors provided by the Oregon Army National Guard Funeral Honor Guard team.
After surviving the infamous Bataan Death March from April 9 to April 17, 1942, Calkins died Nov. 1, 1942, at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp in Nueva Ecija Province and was buried in a mass grave until remains were identified using DNA analysis. Calkins died of inanition, the exhausted condition resulting from lack of food and water.
Calkins’ remains were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on April 17, 2024.
An Oregon Army National Guard Funeral Honor Guard member presents the American Flag to family members of U.S. Army Pvt. Billy E. Calkins during his memorial service at Fir Lawn Cemetery, in Hillsboro, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2024. (John Hughel/Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)
Oregon Army National Guard Funeral Honor Guard members carry the remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Billy E. Calkins during his memorial service at Fir Lawn Cemetery, in Hillsboro, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2024. (John Hughel/Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)
A funeral procession for U.S. Army Pvt. Billy E. Calkins during his memorial service at Fir Lawn Cemetery, in Hillsboro, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2024. (John Hughel/Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)
Oregon Army National Guard Funeral Honors members conduct a flag folding ceremony to honor U.S. Army Pvt. Billy E. Calkins during his memorial service at Fir Lawn Cemetery, in Hillsboro, Ore., on Sept. 13, 2024. (John Hughel/Oregon Military Department Public Affairs)
Oregon Army National Guard Chaplain Col. Jacob Scott officiated at the ceremony.
“The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau in the capital city. In the center of those peaceful grounds stands a beautiful white marble memorial chapel. A limestone hemisphere monument features the tablets of the missing, and contains 36,286 names,” said Scott, describing the memorial grounds where so many American service members are remembered. “Billy’s name is permanently inscribed on those tablets. … But from now on, his name will forever be adorned with a Brass Rosette, signifying that Billy’s remains will now rest in a known grave.”
Calkins’ military awards include: Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster (posthumous), Purple Heart (posthumous), Prisoner of War Medal (posthumous), Good Conduct Medal (posthumous), American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp, World War II Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Infantryman Badge (posthumous), Philippine Defense Ribbon with Bronze Star and Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation.