Two uncles in WWII

The story begins I suppose with the marriage of my aunt, Hazel Schneider, to Nelson Apple in Winslow, Az in March 1937.  I am not sure how they met.  Nelson was living in Gallup in 1935, and Hazel was in "rural San Juan County NM" in 1935, according to the 1940 US census.  After the wedding, they were living in Deming, NM in 1940, along with Hazel's sister Viola (Oly). Hazel and Oly are listed as being waitresses, Nelson is shown as Attendant.  I'm not sure what that was- maybe a gas station attendant.  
Below is a photo of Nelson Apple with Hazel's (or Toots as she was known by family and friends) siblings Mable, Marie, Bill and Bobby. 

When I looked at Nelson's enlistment date, I expected to see sometime soon after Dec.7, 1941.  What I saw was Sept.1, 1941, which surprised me.  I looked at the WWII timeline for the events in the end of August, and found these:

• 25: British and Soviet troops invade Iran to save the Abadan oilfields and the important railways and routes to Soviet Union for the supply of war material.
• 27: German U-boat U-570, being forced to surface off Iceland is captured by the British Royal Navy and is later put into combat service as HMS Graph.
• 28: German forces with the help of Estonian volunteers take Tallinn from Soviets.
• 30: The Shetland bus, a clandestine special operations group that made a permanent link between Shetland, Scotland and German-occupied Norway, begins operations.
• 31: The first signs appear that a Leningrad "siege" is beginning.
  : "The Great Provocation" in Vilnius – German forces stage an attack on their soldiers by Jews, leading to a 'retaliation' mass arrest of the residents of old Jewish quarter, to be murdered at Ponary, three days later

So I am not sure what event prompted Nelson to sign up, but on Monday Sept.1, 1941, he enlisted.  Here is a document filled out by his mother. 

I found this article about his unit at this website http://www.bataanmuseum.com/bataanhistory/

New Mexico National Guard's involvement in the Bataan Death March

The infamous Bataan Death March was one of the greatest atrocities of World War II.

Approximately 1,800 men from the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiment deployed to the Philippines in September 1941.  When the Regiment reached the Philippines they immediately moved to Fort Stotsenberg, 75 miles north of Manila. Over the coming months, they would train under simulated war conditions. By December things would change drastically.

On December 8, 1941 Japanese bombers made their appearance and the war was on.  It was the 200th Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) — the original full Regiment — who is credited as being the “First to Fire” on December 8, 1941. That night, the 515th Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) was formed from the ranks of the 200th.  The Japanese landings on Luzon began on December 10, 1941, with more Japanese forces landing on December 12, 1941.

The 200th and later the 515th could not do much damage as their powder train fuses only had a range of 20,000 feet and the bombers were flying at 23,000 feet. The main Japanese invasion forces landed December 22, 1941 and the decision was made to withdraw the forces into Bataan.  The 200th covered the retreat of the Northern Luzon Force into Bataan and the 515th for the South Luzon Force. They were able to hold the Japanese air and ground attacks back, thus saving the bridges – and the North and South Luzon Forces found a clear, safe passage to the Bataan peninsula.

For months the American and Filipino troops fought bravely as the war situation worsened. By April 3, 1942 the Japanese received sufficient reinforcements and began to drive down the Bataan peninsula.  Four days later, the Japanese broke through allied lines.  After holding off the Japanese from December to April – four long months – the battle for Bataan ended on April 9th

Following the fall of the Bataan Peninsula, on April 9, 1942 the United States surrendered to the Japanese and instantly, more than 75,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers were forced to become Prisoners of War.  The POWs were soon forced to make the 65 mile trek – with no food or water – to confinement camps throughout the Philippines. Thirsty and exhausted, those who attempted to steal a sip of water from roadside streams or collapsed along the way – were shot or bayoneted on the spot by their Japanese captors. In total, 10,000 men – 1,000 American and 9,000 Filipino – died during the Bataan Death March.

Those that survived the march would spend the next 40 months in horrific conditions in confinement camps. Most were transported to the Japanese man island aboard “death ships.”  Many did not survive the voyage. Given very little food, water and even clothing, the men were tortured, malnourished and riddled with disease. Two-thirds would die from disease, starvation, horrendous conditions, and beatings or were murdered. More than 11,500 American soldiers died during the three plus years in confinement.

It wasn’t until late summer of 1945 that these prisoners of war would see freedom.  Survivors were diseased, frail – emaciated, skin and bones, some blind, others unable to walk. Sadly one third of the former POWs would die of complications within their first year of freedom.

Of the 1,816 men 200th & 515th Coast Artillery men identified, 829 died in battle, while prisoners, or immediately after liberation. 

The New Mexico Military Museum in Santa Fe sounds like it would be well worth the visit:
The museum began as a tribute to the Veterans of the infamous Bataan Death March. This tribute remains and has grown into a world class display that chronicles the struggle and desperate years of the experiences of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery regiments. You can follow the story of the 1800 brave New Mexico Soldiers through their odyssey from New Mexico, Fort Bliss, Bataan, Japan and finally of the 900 soldiers who survived confinement and returned home.

Below is another part of the document Nelson's mother filled out

Nelson's obituary is shown below:
THE GALLUP INDEPENDENT, GALLUP, N.M., MONDAY, JUNE 21, 1943, FRONT PAGE

NELSON W. APPLE DIES IN JAP CAMP

Mrs. Fred Garing received word today from the War Department that her brother, Master Sgt. Nelson W. Apple, died June 16 in a Japanese prison camp.

Apple was a member of the headquarters battalion, 200th CA, from Deming and was well known in Gallup. He was reported a prisoner on March 13, and word was received of his death, while his mother, Mrs. N.C. Apple of El Paso, was visiting Mrs. Garing here.

THE DEMING HEADLIGHT, DEMING, NEW MEXICO, FRIDAY,JUNE 25, 1943, FRONT PAGE

M/SGT. NELSON W. APPLE DIES IN PHILIPPINES

Master Sgt. Nelson W. Apple, 28, who had been a prisoner of the Japanese in the Philippine Islands since March 13, died on June 16, according to word received Monday by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson C. Apple of El Paso, Texas.

Sgt. Apple was a member of New Mexico's 200th Coast Artillery. He operated the Deming Radio Shop on north Silver Ave.

Sergeant Apple's wife, Hazel L. Apple, joined the Waacs Auxiliary last December. She is now assigned to foreign duty.

So, as you see in the obituary, Hazel did join the Waacs.  She was stationed in England. 

So as you can see in the document above, Hazel joined the WACS a few months before the Bataan death march. 

Hazel is in the back row, third from the right. 

Hazel left the WACS the month after Nelson died.  Probably in later half of 1945, she was contacted and visited by a man who had known her late husband in the POW camps.  His name was Tom Burrell.  He had joined the service in either Dec. 1940 or Jan 1941 (documents conflict).  He is shown in the page below from the book shown in the Tanagua camp

So Tom and Hazel's meeting turned into a friendship and then a relationship and they were married.  Tom, having been through this horrific experience, said he would never be hungry again. Tom passed away in 2003
 

Nelson's headstone is below


And Hazel, having lived a long life, passed a few months ago in January 2018.  She was an incredible woman, and is dearly missed. 



Our relatives sacrificed so much so we could enjoy the freedoms and way of life we enjoy.  We need to always be on guard to protect the constitution and bill of rights from those who would take them away from us, and be as brave and willing to sacrifice as Nelson, Tom, and Hazel were.