Archey (Archie), Aaron

Rank and Name, Sergeant Aron Archie.

Unit/Placed in, 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group.

Camp no record

The Imperial Japanese began their Invasion in the Philippines on 8 Dec 1941.

The 20th resorted to fighting together among American and Filipino forces when compelled to surrender on 9 Apr 1942.

Sgt. Archie became a POW and was imprisoned at Pow Camp no record, he survived the Bataan Death March.

Arisan Maru

The Arisan Maru was a Hell Ships (former Cargo, used for Transport POW’s to other Camps) sunk on Nov. 24, 1944.

The Arisan Maru, sailed from Manila on October 11, 1944 for Japan. This ship was sunk by the American submarine, USS Shark with three torpedoes, on November 24, 1944. There were 1800 POWs aboard – nine men survived this sinking. Two days later, five of the survivors were rescued by a Chinese fishing junk. The Chinese helped them reach American Air Corps forces. Other survivors were recaptured by a Japanese destroyer and taken to Formosa.

This Hell Ship sank in the South China Sea making it the worst naval disaster in the history of the United States.

Aron is born approx. on Feb. 20, 1912 in Adamsville, Texas.

Father, Thomas B. Archey.

Mother, Elizabeth F. (Weir) Archey.

Sister(s), Cornelia G. Estella, Willie, Alma and Prebble D. Archey.

Brother(s), Elton and Everett Archey.

Aron enlisted the service in Texas with service number # 6255958.

Aron was KIA when he tried to Escape the Torpedoed Arisan Maru when the Japanese Guards shot him on Oct. 24, 1944, he is honored with a Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.

Aron is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Walls of the missing.

Thanks to,

Jean Louis Vijgen, WW2-Pacific Website.

Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.

ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov

Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org

POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.

Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org

Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker

Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/

Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org