World War II US Army Capt. Willibald Bianchi survived two chest wounds from Japanese gunfire, the Bataan Death March, wretched captivity in prisoner-of-war camps and the sinking of his first POW transport ship by his own countrymen.
For his bravery in battle, he was given the Medal of Honor, the US military’s highest award for valor.
But Bianchi never knew of his commendation, nor would he ever see his Minnesota home again.
He would not survive a second attack by US warplanes on a POW ship on which he was being held. According to his Japanese captors, Bianchi was killed when the POW ship he was on was attacked by US forces off the coast of Formosa (now Taiwan) in early 1945.
…
