John Elmore Sadler

Sergeant

Sgt. John Elmore Sadler (Harrodsburg Tankers Survivor, WW II) 1914–1968 BIRTH 14 JUL 1914 • Elmwood Place, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA DEATH 23 SEP 1968 • died in McCreary County, Kentucky; buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky, USA; Find A Grave # 179019801 & # 145554007 Education: Grammar school Civil Occupation: Farm hands, general farms (He was married 2 times and he had 2 sons and 1 daughter.)

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(NOTE: He has 2 “Find A Grave Memorials.")
#1.
“John Elmore Sadler
BIRTH, 14 Jul 1914, Elmwood Place, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA
DEATH, 23 Sep 1968 (aged 54), Kentucky, USA
BURIAL, Unknown
MEMORIAL ID, 145554007
John Sadler grew-up in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. With his brother, he joined the Kentucky National Guard. In December 1941, his brother and him were stationed in the Philippine Islands when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. After four months of fighting the Japanese, he became a Prisoner of War and was held at POW camps in the Philippines and Japan.”

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#2.
John Elmore Sadler
BIRTH, 14 Jul 1914, Ohio, USADEATH, 23 Sep 1968 (aged 54), Mercer County, Kentucky, USA
BURIAL, Spring Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky, USA
MEMORIAL ID, 179019801
HARRODSBURG (Spl.)-John Elmore Sadler, 54, died at 9 p.m. Monday at his home on Campbell Drive after a long illness.

A native of Ohio, he was a member of the Burgin Baptist Church and was a veteran of the Bataan Death March in the Philippines during World War 11.

Survivors are a daughter, Mrs. Druy Straton, Harrodsburg; three sons, John Elmore Jr., Robert King and James Keith

(September 25, 1968 A Publisher Extra Newspaper The Advocate-Messenger from Danville, Kentucky · Page 6 OCR text)

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Sergeant John Elmore Sadler joined the Harrodsburg National Guard unit sometime before the activation with his brother Campbell. They escaped Bataan to Corregidor and was sent to the Malanta Tunnel. He later went to Fort Drum. When he was taken prisoner, he was eventually sent to Bilibid Prison and on to 31 Cabanatan #1.

He was put on a truck to be moved to another camp and was reunited with his brother. He was later returned to Cabanatuan #1 hospital. He was put on the Hell Ship Clyde Maru and sailed to Moji, Japan and Fukuoka #17 where he worked in a coal mine.

He ran out of the building he was in and saw a mushroom shaped cloud across the bay over Nagasaki. After a time, the men left the camp and made their way to the American troops. He was eventually flown to the Philippines and reunited again with his brother. John Sadler died on September 23, 1968.

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