THE PARACHUTE STORY
Roy E. “Gabby” Hays, 4th Marines, 1st Battalion, "D" Company was captured on Corregidor in May of 1942.
He was a Japanese Prisoner of War for 3 1/2 years. During those years “Gabby”,
so nicknamed because he seldom spoke, spent time in Cabanatuan, Fukiokia,Bilibid, Japan, Kyushu Fukuoka Camp 17.
Roy was in Camp 17 when the war ended. The Americans were dropping food on the camp in 50 gallon drums attached to parachutes. Roy said he did not know what made him think to do it, but he gathered one of the parachutes, cut or tore off a piece and wrote his name on it. Roy then passed it around for those around him to sign too. He thinks they signed it in pencil because he said they didn't have such things as pens. 38 men including Roy signed their names on it and added where they were from. He brought it home with him. A few years later after Roy was home and had married, his wife suggested to him that they hire a woman to embroider the names before they faded, and so they did.
A daughter’s request:
Last night on Christmas Eve (2002), my father, Roy Hay, and I sat down with his beloved piece of parachute and I wrote down all the names from it. We are hoping that if anyone is looking for information about someone on his parachute, they might want to contact us. Or if any of the men are who signed it are still alive and would like to correspond with dad, he welcomes it. A few he called his "buddies" he knows have passed away. He might not be able to relate anything
personal or specific about most of those men but he could relate their circumstances if family members wish to talk with him.
Below is a list of the men who signed the parachute. Some of them have a question mark with the soldier's name or the town name. These were the names that were hard to read and Dad just could not remember the name exactly.
Thank you, Annette Morgan,
Associate Member ADBC
and daughter of Roy E. Hays
Roy E. Hays, Mt. Vernon, Illinois Clayton A Crimmons, Yakima, Washington
Bernard M. Pothier, Medford, Mass. Robert D. Henderson, Seattle, Washington
Jack T. Stark (or) Stack, Pittsburg, Pa Donald D. Rutter, Lansing Michigan
Harold D. (Snuff ? unreadable) St. Paul, Mn Robert E. Taylor, Marion, Iowa
Elwood S. Rahall (or) Rahalt, Eau Claire, Wisconsin Don S. Pike, Oxnard, California
C.E. Perferron, West Palm Beach, Florida C.A. Schmidt, Clanton (or) Clayton, Iowa
Rosser E. Sodn or Sohn, Rock Springs, Wyoming Tony Del Pino, Tampa, Florida
(dad thinks he was a Bugler)
W.D. Hicks, Pinckneyville, Illinois Ronald Walsh, St. Paul, Minn.
R. Aschenbrenner, Lincoln, Nebraska E.R. Johnson, Chowchilla, California
Jack J. Rocher, Portsmouth, Virginia Thomas E. Harvey (or ?) Harney, Adrian Michigan
Bob Walker, New Orleans, Louisiana Edward Duggan, Santa Monica, California
Charles G. Davis, Phoenix, Arizona James O. Wiss (or Atkiss?) Chula Vista, California
James H. Austin, Spokane, Wash. Holland Hazel (?) McRae, Georgia
James H. Malone, Fairfield, Ill. Ole Standifer, Cogar (?), Oklahoma (cook)
James O. Bennett, Wynne, Arkansas Floyd J. Dudley, Kansas City, Missouri
David N. Chapa, Alamo, Texas J.M. or Jim (?) Vaughn, Chicago, Illinois
Floyd L. Singer (or ?) Sanger, California Larry Hollingstead, Vancouver, Canada
Donald D. Rutter, Lansing Michigan Marvin W. Denny, Ft. Worth, Texas
James Wilson, East St. Louis, Illinois Jackson S. Holly, Denver, Colorado
Ralph Mason, Charter St., New Orleans, Louisiana (cook)