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Died at the POW Camp Cabanatuan June 28th 1942. Whitehead, Orral L., Cpl 7th Matl Sqdn, 5th Air Base Gp. While the Japanese official cause of death was listed as dysentery, one of the survivors of the Cabanatuan traveled to Kemmerer, Wyoming and visited my Grandmother Dorothy Whitehead Ulrich and my Father Carl--Orral's younger half-brother, in 1946 and told her he was of friend of Orral's and had promised Orral that he would say goodbye to his Mother and relate that he had been " ...used for bayonet practice by the Japanese, then with the butts of rifles his gold tooth extracted... I'll send on some photos and ask my Father if Uncle Leroy had a favorite song. Your kindness is very touching. Wallace Ulrich wulrich@wyoming.com Remember forgotten war hero this morning Compiled by SALLY ANN SHURMUR - | Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2010 12:00 am Casper, Wyoming Today at 11:30 a.m., the name of Orral Leroy Whitehead will be added to the War Memorial on the Platte River Parkway west of the Pumphouse. Whitehead was captured on Bataan, survived the infamous “Bataan Death March” and was interred in Camp Cabanatuan where he was brutally murdered June 28, 1942, by Japanese soldiers. The Whitehead brothers lived in Kemmerer before the war. Dorothy Ulrich sent three sons to war. Wallace and Orral died serving their country. The youngest son, Carl, came home. Wallace’s name was on the official list of Wyoming War Dead but Orral’s name was not. A nephew, Wallace Ulrich of Jackson, inquired about adding the name of his uncle Orral to the War Memorial. The Marine Corps League, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans met to rectify the oversight. Family members, including the younger surviving brother, Carl, will witness Orral’s name being place on the wall with full military honors. Gen. Olin Odekoven of the Wyoming National Guard will present a flag to the family. Rev. Leonard Robinson, himself a Bataan Death March survivor, will lead the benediction. The United Veterans Council under the direction of Cecil Barnes will render military honors. The Patriot Guard will line the walk with American flags as they do at all military funerals. Kenn Gilchrist will sing the national anthem, and Forrest Leff will render Taps. A wreath will be placed at the site to honor this forgotten hero. According to organizers, Whitehead's name will complete the entire Wyoming War Dead - from Caspar Collins, July 26, 1865, to Marine Jacob Ross, March 24, 2010. Wyoming is the only state to have all of its war dead on one monument. To arrive at the war memorial, park in the Whitewater Park parking lot at the Parkway Pumphouse Trails Center on West Yellowstone Highway between Poplar St., and Wyoming Boulevard. Walk west 700 feet on the parkway to the concrete memorial, which "holds up West Yellowstone," organizer Leo Sanchez is fond of saying. Member, Wallace L. Ulrich, Nephew of: Orral LeRoy Whitehead May 22, 2010 WWII Hero Finally Honored Reported by Rina Nakano Orral Whitehead is a World War II war hero, being added to the list on the Wyoming War dead Memorial. But why now? Leo Sanchez of the Marine Corps League says, “We did not know that he was part of the List of Wyoming War Dead because he enlisted in Utah. We found out just a couple of weeks ago, so the family called and said, 'Can we put our other uncle on there? Orral Whitehead? We said not only are we going to put his name on the wall, we're going to do it up big." His brother Wallace is already honored on the wall, and has been for a while. After almost 70 years of being forgotten, Orral will finally join his brother. Orral Whitehead's nephew, Wallace Ulrich came with his family from Fossil to accept the honor. He says, “Orral Leroy Whitehead, who survived a horrific Bataan March of 12 days in the Tropical Heat. 70 thousand started, and only 5 thousand were put into POW camps. And 75% of those were either murdered or died. Basically all of the men had a teaspoon full of rice everyday, a little bit of water, were abused in horrific ways, and he died June 28th, 1942. His remains are interred in Manila at the Philippine American Cemetery.” Despite the two deaths that came out of the War, the family has shown forgiveness. Ulrich says, “Part of the strange aspect of this, in 1962, a very large Fossil Fish to Com. Sanchez was prepared by father, chosen by President Eisenhower, and gifted to Emperor Hirohito. The family spoke about it then, and it's one of the great lessons of forgiveness. And we've had a very close relationship with the National Japanese Trust Museums. They have thousands of specimens from Kemmerer. The Emperor accepted the gift, and I just received a copy of the telegram of that from the Eisenhower Library.” We asked Wallace, what Orral would be thinking looking down at his ceremony. He says, “He (Orral) would have love that it's snowing and raining and windy. He's a Wyoming Boy. Loves the cold better than the heat. So I can't imagine he'd suffer it. He'd tell the grandsons and sons to enjoy life, do what they do well, and do a lot of it.” Sanchez adds, “Come by, see the men and women... There are 2 women on this wall. And see the people who gave you the right to live as Americans.” Ever since the end of the War, there have been thousands of fossil specimens from Kemmerer in Japanese Museums sent from this very family.  or if you would like to be added to my POW/Internee e-mail distribution list, please let the me, Tom Moore, know. Thanks! |