I’ve shared this picture of my Grandma’s brother before but yesterday the army called with news that they think they have located his body after he went missing in July of 1942
From my cousin Donald when I posted this picture on Facebook
From Donald’s comments in a picture I posted early on in Facebook
Carl came to Wyoming to be a cowboy but, after riding his horse into the Silver Dollar Bar in Cody, the Sheriff gave him the alternatives of going to jail or joining the army. He joined the army and died in the Bataan Death March in 1942... my middle name Carl is in his honor.
Dixie, actually, he survived the march but died of dysentery in the Cabanatuan POW camp not long after. We have a copy of a letter from his sergeant sent to "William Beightol" in 1974 saying that he had held Carl in in arms when he died, June 1942. Marion and I visited the site of the POW camp in 1972 and also saw Carl's name on the Memorial of the Pacific War in Manila.
Wow, Dixie, you couldn't have asked for a more wonderful photo of this handsome relative as a family keepsake! Though his story is a sad one, I'm hopeful for you and your family that they can bring his story to a proper conclusion. Thanks to this wonderful photo, he'll forever be the cowboy he hoped to be!
What a story. I agree and hope along with Louise that the Army has found some closure to his life. I'm sure you are all proud of him and should be. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country- even if it was only one of two options. It's such a great picture to remember him by.
July 19th, 2018
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