Oral History Interview with Alton Halbrook, {1972-03-21,1972-04-18}

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alton Halbrook. Halbrook joined the Marine Corps in 1938 while enrolled at John Tarleton Agricultural College (Tarleton State University). After training at San Diego, Halbrook was assigned to duty in Shanghai before serving as a sea-going Marine aboard the USS Augusta (CA-31). Due to seasickness, he returned to the 4th Marine Regiment in China. Halbrook shares several stories of duty in China prior to the outbreak of war with Japan. When he asked permission to marry a Greek girl in Shanghai, the Marines shipped him to Cavite in the Philippines in early 1941. Halkbrook was present at the Cavite Navy Yard when the Japanese attacked in December, 1941. He recalls being supremely confident, cocky even, that when it came to a fight with the Japanese, the Americans would prevail easily. His illusion was shattered the day following the attack on Cavite when he was burying his dead friends. During the battle for Bataas, Halbrook hauled supplies from Manila until he was assigned to beach defense on Corregidor. Before Bataan fell, Halbrook volunteered to command a hastily organized unit of Philippine Army riflemen and went back to Bataan. He spent 37 days on the front lines with these troops. Just as Bataan fell, Halbrook escaped to Corregidor. He remained there until that island surrendered. While still on Corregidor shortly after the surrender, Halbrook recalls an incident involving fellow-POW, John David Provoo. Halbrook volunteered for several different work details, including driving Japanese officers and cremating corpses. He describes an incident that occurred while driving General Yamashita around Corregidor. Eventually, Halbrook was sent to Cabanatuan. He also spent some time in Camp O’Donnell, Batangas and Clark Field working various burial, bridge building and airfield maintenance details. Halbrook recalls when the Americans returned and air raids began. Sometime in late 1944, he was sent to Manila and put aboard a hell ship for transport to Japan. He recalls the experiences of being aboard the ship. Their first stop was Hong Kong, and then they went to Formosa and stayed for a while before leaving for Japan. Halbrook arrived on Kyushu in January, 1945, where he worked in a steel mill. On the day he was liberated, Halbrook was taken to an LST and was given steak and eggs, which made him sick. He eventually was transferred to a hospital ship. In three weeks, he was back in the US and spent seven months in the hospital at Corpus Christi before receiving a medical discharge in March, 1946