Combs, Richard A.

1920 - 1942  (22 years)

• Name	Combs, Richard A.
  Birth	29 Mar 1920	Three Mile, Kanawha County, West Virginia   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Reference Number	COMB.R001
  _FGRAVE	70159995
  Military Service	World War II, Technician Fifth Grade, Medical Detachment, Company A, 19th Ordnance Battalion, United States Army  [1]
  	Richard Combs was a member of the 17th Ordnance Company. He was stationed in the Philippine Islands when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Ten hours later, he lived through the bombing of Clark Airfield. For four months, his unit worked to keep the tanks running of the Provisional Tank Group. For four months they slowed Japan’s conquest of the Philippines. Without food, without adequate supplies, and no hope of being relieved, he became a Prisoner of War on April 9, 1942, when Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese. He took part in the death march from Mariveles to Capas. There, 100 POWs were packed into small wooden boxcars that could hold 40 men or 8 horses. At San Fernando, the living left the boxcars and those who had died fell to the floor. The POWs walked the final miles to Camp O’Donnell. As a POW, he was held at Camp O’Donnell. The death rate in the camp was so high that the Japanese opened a new camp at Cabanatuan and transferred the healthier POWs there. He remained at Camp O'Donnell because he was too ill to be moved. He was one of the last POWs to die at the camp and was buried in the camp cemetery. After the war, his remains were identified and his family requested that they be returned to the United States. In October 1955, he was buried at Bethel Presbyterian Cemetery. ================== All military records refer to him as s Private. His headstone shows his rank as Tecnician 5. Was he posthunously promoted?
  		Flag of the United States, 48 Stars (1912-1959) In 1912, two stars were added to the United States flag, representing Arizona and New Mexico, bringing the total number of stars to 48. They were arranged in six rows of eight stars each. American fighting men would fight under this flag during four wars: World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the beginning of the Vietnam War. (In 1959, a…
  		United States Army
  		Prisoner of War-Missing in Action Flag
  		Prisoner of War Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		Technician Fifth Grade (T/5 or Tec 5), United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		Technician Fifth Grade, United States Army and United States Army Air Forces (Sep 1942-Aug 1948) This insignia was worn during World War II. The Technician ranks were removed from the U.S. Army rank system in 1948, although the concept was brought back with the Specialist ranks in 1955.
  		United States Army Enlisted Rank Insignia
  		Prisoner of War Medal, United States Armed Forces
  		World War II (1939-1945)
  		Bataan Death March
  		Bataan Project - Combs, Richard A. (1920-1942)
  		Bataan Commemorative Research Project This site is dedicated to the men of Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion, Illinois Army National Guard
  		Camp O'Donnell, Tarlac Province, Central Luzon, Philippines
  Death	2 Nov 1942	Camp O'Donnell, Tarlac Province, Central Luzon, Philippines   [1]
  	Cause: Died of Disease while a Prisoner of War
  		Camp O'Donnell, Tarlac Province, Central Luzon, Philippines
  		Certificate of Death, Combs, Richard A. (1920-1942)
  Burial	Bethel Presbyterian Cemetery, Waverly, Wood County, West Virginia   [1]
  Person ID	I41127	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	12 Jul 2024

  
  

  Father	Combs, Herbert Leroy 'Roy',   b. 19 Aug 1894, Waverly, Wood County, West Virginia d. 28 Sep 1955, Elkview, Kanawha County, West Virginia (Age 61 years)
  Mother	Minnear, Nellie,   b. 12 Aug 1896, Marion County, West Virginia d. 20 Dec 1981, Elkview, Kanawha County, West Virginia (Age 85 years)
  Family ID	F18156	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 29 Mar 1920 - Three Mile, Kanawha County, West Virginia Death - Cause: Died of Disease while a Prisoner of War - 2 Nov 1942 - Camp O'Donnell, Tarlac Province, Central Luzon, Philippines Burial - - Bethel Presbyterian Cemetery, Waverly, Wood County, West Virginia  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  WV TEC5 Med Dept. 17 ORD CO WWII Richard Combs was a member of the 17th Ordnance Company. He was stationed in the Philippine Islands when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Ten hours later, he lived through the bombing of Clark Airfield. For four months, his unit worked to keep the tanks running of the Provisional Tank Group. For four months they slowed Japan’s conquest of the Philippines. Without food, without adequate supplies, and no hope of being relieved, he became a Prisoner of War on April 9, 1942, when Bataan was surrendered to the Japanese. He took part in the death march from Mariveles to Capas. There, 100 POWs were packed into small wooden boxcars that could hold 40 men or 8 horses. At San Fernando, the living left the boxcars and those who had died fell to the floor. The POWs walked the final miles to Camp O’Donnell. As a POW, he was held at Camp O’Donnell. The death rate in the camp was so high that the Japanese opened a new camp at Cabanatuan and transferred the healthier POWs there. He remained at Camp O'Donnell because he was too ill to be moved. He was one of the last POWs to die at the camp and was buried in the camp cemetery. After the war, his remains were identified and his family requested that they be returned to the United States. In October 1955, he was buried at Bethel Presbyterian Cemetery.

  
  

• Sources

  [S13013] Bataanproject.com, http://bataanproject.com/Combs.html, (http://bataanproject.com/Combs.html) (Reliability: 2).