Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Second World War on The Wartime Memories Project Website
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250738
Lawrence I. Freeman
US Navy USS Canopus
My cousin Lawrence I. Freeman was a Machinist Mate second class on the Canopus. When General Douglas MacArthur sailed on a P.T. boat from the Phillipines, he said I shall return. The sailors on the USS Canopus were ordered by MacArthur to take everything off the ship and bring to the hills so that the Japanese could not use anything and then sink the Canopus which was a submarine tender. Eventually all the people on the tender and woman nurses and soldiers stationed in that area were all caught by the Japanese soldiers and put in one of the two prison camps. Larry was also shipped to Japan and worked in the coal mines for one year before being returned to the death camps. Larry was in the death march and told me horrible stories as to what happened. After too many years fighting the VA for benefits and health treatments he finally received a very small VA pension at the end of his life. He had malaria and berry berry and never had a good night's sleep for most of his life. My cousin Larry Freeman was an American hero.
He never discussed his experiences in the Navy until I brought a copy of the Navy times magazine telling a story about the Canopus. Then, Larry told me stories that he had kept to himself for over 10 years.