CENTRALIA, Wash. — After more than 80 years, a World War II soldier’s remains are finally coming home to Washington.
Sgt. George Bishop enlisted in the army in 1939 and was stationed in the Philippines in 1941. The day after, Japanese troops attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 the base Bishop was attacked the very next day.
For three months, American and Filipino troops fought back before surrendering. Thousands of soldiers, including Bishop, became prisoners of war (POW).
“He survived the battle and was marched in the Bataan death march.” said Les Yocom, Bishop’s nephew.
The Bataan Death March was a grueling and deadly 65 mile march through the Philippines to POW camps. Thousands of soldiers would die along the way due to the harsh conditions of the terrain and by the hands of the Japanese troops.
“The fact that he took part in that kind of stuff, it just blows me away, ” said Stan Yocom, fighting back tears.
Stan Yacom is Les Yacom’s older brother and he’s also one of Bishop’s nephews.
Bishop survived the march and was kept at the Cabanatuan Prison Camp. He was there a couple of months before he died at only 22 years old in July 1942. The army lists his cause of death as dysentery and diphtheria.
His body was buried among many others in a mass grave at the camp it was what known as Common Grave 215.
When the war ended, the bodies in the mass grave were exhumed and moved to a mortuary and cemetery in Manila to be either be identified and sent home or buried there.
R&I – TP
Anothermike