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"We just begin to see it, it was every man for himself...Boy that was hard. You just turn your eyes and move on...knowing he's going to die that night." (Audio Interview, 27:48, Part I)

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   Albert L. Allen, Jr.
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War: World War, 1939-1945
Branch: Army
Unit: C Company, 192nd Tank Battalion
Service Location: Fort Knox, Kentucky (basic); Clark Field, Philippines; Mukden and Manchuria, China
Rank: Staff Sergeant
POW: Yes
Place of Birth: OH
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As an idealistic 21-year old from Mansfield, Ohio, who enlisted in the Army two years after the Second World War broke out in Europe, Albert Allen just wanted to do what everyone else at the time was doing: help make the world a better place. What he didn't know was that he would grow as an individual, learning new things about himself and becoming a new person. The "new" Albert Allen was stationed at an airfield in Bataan when U.S. forces surrendered; he was strong enough and able to survive imprisonment in Bataan, the Bataan Death March, and imprisonment in Manchuria as well. His story reveals the brutality of the Japanese--the beatings, the scare tactics, the lack of food, and poor sanitary conditions-all of it reflecting the lack of respect they had for the American soldiers.

Interview (Audio)
»Interview Highlights  (10 clips)
»Complete Interview  (145 min.)
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»The War
 Audio (Interview Excerpts) (10 items)
First taste of battle against Japanese aircraft; first casualties taken. (02:08) Living with rumors that Japanese paratroopers might invade the airfield. (01:46) Last days of battle and freedom before the surrender. (01:35)
Outbreak of malaria and why it was called a "Death March;" lack of chow beginning to take its toll on the soldiers. (02:04) Hard times during imprisonment. (01:19) The beginning of the Death March; details of abuse. (03:15)
During the Death March, having to resort to "Every man for himself," knowing that fellow soldiers are going to die. (02:36) The deaths of a few buddies and how the news was received. (03:28) Falling out of line during the March; being ready to just die in the bushes at the point of a bayonet. (04:21)
Cheating on the March; the March finally coming to an end. (03:58)  
  
 
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  October 26, 2011
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