Oldest Bataan Death March Survivor Dies

A few days ago, our country's oldest known survivor of the Bataan Death March passed away. Albert Brown was 105 years old. Just like the other 78,000 or so prisoners who were forced marched some 65 miles in the Phillipines, his body did not fare well. He was told not to expect to live much past 50 because of the disease, cruelty and malnutrition his body endured. I guess he proved the doctor wrong, living more than half century past his expiration date, his label as a member of the Greatest Generation secure.

Here in Marysville, Ohio, where I live, we had a Bataan Death March survivor whose name was Charles "Chuck" Riedmiller. When I came to live here in 2000, Chuck was starting to show evidence of his experiences. He was in a wheelchair and couldn't communicate very well. I would see him at an occasional American Legion meeting, and always at the Memorial and Veterans Day programs where he would be introduced as the hero he was.

In 2002 when the non-profit group Heroes from the Heartland from the Heartland published the stories of 213 of our World War II veterans, Chuck was one of them. I will be posting his stories in the forum soon, right from the book. Things like this will make you cringe: "If we were found to have Japanese money in our possession, the penalty was to be beheaded." Or, "Guards who always had their rifles with fixed boyonets did not leave much room for heroic actions." On seeing his mother for the first time when he arrived home: "Even after the time I has spent in recovery, I was in such poor physical condition that when I walked up to her and spoke, she asked who I was."

Chuck attended a couple of my school's Veterans Day programs in his final years. The young 5th-8th graders did not understand what "Bataan Death March Survivor" meant. They only saw an old man who had to be pushed in a wheelchair and could barely shake their hands. All the adults watched in awe. And so my mantra continues, record you stories NOW so they know later what you did. Thankfully, I can share Chuck's story with my students.

Tags: Bataan, Charles, Death, II, March, Riedmiller, War, World, military, story, More…survivor

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Comment by Max Eugene Amrine on August 25, 2011 at 2:11am: Pam,

That had to be the opportunity that very few people will ever have; too bad that every person under 30 in America couldn't have had that opportunity; maybe, as a whole, they'd all have a better appreciation of what America stands for.

Comment by Claudia Bartow on August 24, 2011 at 9:03pm: Pam,

That had to be such an interesting job to meet all of those heroes. What an awesome memory for you. Thanks for sharing.

Comment by Pamela Blair on August 19, 2011 at 4:26pm: Claudia, your blog about the Bataan Death March Survivor brought back vivid memories of meeting some of these extraordinary people. In 2005, while working for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), I attended a reunion of the Bataan Death March Survivors at Fontana Lake in North Carolina. This group and their families had been meeting annually for quite some time, but their numbers were diminished by age and the difficulties of traveling to Fontana from around the country. The Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Benefits Administration gratefully accepted this opportunity to thank these veterans for their service to our country. We were very privileged to spend some time with them at Fontana Lake for a few days. While there, I interviewed some of the survivors and was moved beyond words by their stories about the Bataan Death March and what it was like to be a prisoner of war. Their memories were crystal clear as they gave almost hour-by-hour accounts of the march and what happened to them during them during that horrible time in their lives. We presented each of them with an engraved eagle statue, with deep appreciation from a grateful nation. I will never forget them and their sacrifices for our country.

Comment by Max Eugene Amrine on August 16, 2011 at 5:05pm: Chuck was the "Commaisaire Intendent" (treasurer) of the 40 et 8 when I was initiated into the organization. In fact, I replaced him as the finance guy. I'll always remember how much of a stickler he was on having receipts down to the penny! The guys had fun with him because of that; however, everyone had a very deep respect for what Chuck had gone through. His wife, Mildred, was a super person. Chuck always rode on our 40 et 8 Fire Truck in the parades and was always a presenter of a wreath during Marysville's Memorial Day ceremonies.

Comment by Tom Kirkpatrick on August 16, 2011 at 11:04am: I knew Chuck briefly when I was a kid, maybe 12 or 13 years old. Our neighbor, Fred Reidmiller was his younger brother and I rode down to Chuck's house in Milford Center with them one summer. One story about Chuck that I can relate is that one year, him and I were paired off to speak to one of the classes at Claudia's school on Veterans Day. He had me speak first and I basically told about what I did in the NAVY and how long I was in. Chuck told about being in the Phillipenes when the war broke out and being in the Bataan Death March. Then Chuck asked if there were any questions. One timid young man in the back of the class and stood up. He asked, " What was the Bataan Death March?" That was all that Chuck needed. That young man got a history lesson for the whole rest of the period, But I guarrantee he will always remember it. That is one reason for our stories need to be told, so future generations know of what our generations did. Veterans of the Viet Nam War should especially tell your stories as a way gaining back your heroism that you did not receive when you came home all of those years ago.