B24AT6 Posted June 12, 2019 Share #1 Posted June 12, 2019 This Purple Heart was awarded to Private Charles K. Seawright from Cocoa, Florida for his death in the sinking of the Hell Ship Oryoku Maru. Private Seawright was part of the 454th Aviation Company, Aviation which was attached to the 27th Bomb Group in Luzon. Private Seawright was in the Philippines when Japan invaded and the ground forces of the 27th Bomb Group were evacuated to the Bataan peninsula. It was at Bataan that the 27th Bomb Group's ground forces entered the history books as the first Air Corp unit to fight as an infantry unit, known as the 2nd Battalion (27th Bombardment Group) Provisional Infantry Regiment (Air Corp). These airmen become infantrymen fought alongside the infantry regiments that were already defending the Bataan peninsula. The men of the 27th were captured on Bataan and forced on the Bataan Death March to be placed in POW camps. Private Seawright was imprisoned in "PW Camp #4" on Luzon and it was during this time around Christmas 1943 that he was able to send cards to his family and even make a radio broadcast where he stated "Dear Folks: I am Well. Please don’t worry about ****. We had a nice Christmas and hope you did. Take care of yourselves and tell everyone hello for me. Signed Chas. K. Seawright." A story that appeared in the Cocoa newspaper in February 1944. Though this was positive news for the Seawright family, by the next Christmas Charles K. Seawright had been killed. The Oryoku Maru was one of the infamous Hell Ships that were unmarked POW transport ships that were notorious for their deplorable conditions and high casualties. Oryoku Maru left Manila on December 13, 1944 with 1,620 POWs being transported to the Japanes mainland in hellish conditions and among those was Private Seawright. On December 15 as the ship was coming into Subic Bay on Luzon the ship was attacked by American aircraft from the USS Hornet who sank the ship leading to the death of approximately 270 of the POWs, including Privates Seawright. The survivors were forced to swim ashore and were later loaded on further Hell Ships to continue their journey to Japan with only 403 of the original 1,620 surviving to liberation. Private Seawright's remains were never recovered and he is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing in the American Cemetery in Manila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B24AT6 Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted June 12, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B24AT6 Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted June 12, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B24AT6 Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted June 12, 2019 The Oryoku Maru after being attacked in Subic Bay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B24AT6 Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted June 12, 2019 Private Seawright on the Walls of the Missing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaszanka Posted June 12, 2019 Share #6 Posted June 12, 2019 thats a nice group ! thanks for sharing the story ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant1942 Posted September 18, 2019 Share #7 Posted September 18, 2019 Thanks for sharing, I too have a Bataan KIA medal from a guy killed at O’Donnell. Always get angry hearing and knowing what these guys had to endure for 3 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanemono Posted September 18, 2019 Share #8 Posted September 18, 2019 Thank you for sharing this historic medal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted September 18, 2019 Share #9 Posted September 18, 2019 Thanks for sharing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B24AT6 Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share #10 Posted September 19, 2019 Thanks guys, I'm proud to be the caretaker of this brave Floridian's story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted September 19, 2019 Share #11 Posted September 19, 2019 R.I.P. Private Seawright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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