June 14, 1943. “It Was Worth It, Abe.” … so that … “freedom … shall not perish from the earth …” A fighting Coast Guardsman, who gave his right arm in battle pays Memorial Day tribute at the Lincoln shrine in Washington, DC. He is Coast Guardsman Thomas Sortino (d.1977) of Chicago, who participated in the North African invasion. Photograph by U.S. Coast Guard.
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HON. DOUG LaMALFA
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great American
hero, Private James ``Stanley'' Mitchell, who volunteered to serve our
great Nation in World War II and died 82 years ago in a Japanese POW
camp in Luzon, Philippines. Private Mitchell's remains were located and
identified and have been returned to his family, a testament of his
courage and sacrifice.Private Mitchell was born in Joplin, Missouri on October 2, 1917. The family would move frequently during his early life, eventually settling down in Hamilton City, California.
On March 4, 1941, Private Mitchell enlisted in the United States Army and was deployed as part of the 31st Infantry Regiment on assignment to Clark Field in Luzon, Philippines. Ten months after his initial deployment to the Philippines, Imperial Japanese Forces would bomb Pearl Harbor, bringing the United States and all her territories into World War II. Japanese forces begin a full-scale invasion of Luzon, Philippines on December 22, 1941. The 31st Infantry Regiment stood defiant and courageous against overwhelming Japanese forces until their surrender on April 9, 1942.
Private Mitchell joined approximately 72,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war (POW) on a 65-mile march known as the Bataan Death March. These brave souls endured torture, starvation, disease and ultimately death at the hands of the Japanese forces. By the end of the march, only approximately 52,000 American and Filipino POWs remained live.
Private Mitchell and many surviving POWs would be held at the Cabanatuan POW Camp. Conditions would not improve for these courageous men. On January 7, 1943, Private Mitchell succumbed to starvation and disease, dying at a weight of only 70 pounds. Private Mitchell was buried in one of the many mass graves at the camp.
The Cabanatuan POW Camp would be liberated on January 30, 1945, with only 489 POWs remaining alive. Unfortunately, 2,656 brave American POWs had lost their lives at the camp.
Private Mitchell was the first World War II casualty from Hamilton City. His status as a POW brought great sadness and pain to his family. The news of his death brought devastation to his parents and family. His remains were exhumed and identified in September of 2024. Private Mitchell's remains were brought home to the United States on May 3, 2025, and he will be laid to rest between his parents at the Los Molinos Cemetery, in Northern California.
Private Mitchell's story and sacrifice will not be forgotten. His
legacy and impact to our community will continue to be felt. His return
will bring closure to his family. God bless Private Mitchell and
welcome home.
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| Adm. Nimitz |
The constitutional mission of the Society for Military History is “to stimulate and advance the study of military history, especially that of the United States, and to diffuse knowledge thereof by publications, displays, and otherwise.” In response to recent wholesale deletions or removals of historical publications, websites, lesson plans, and even the removal of books and archives, the Society’s Council has voted to act to preserve deleted materials and report on other administrative actions at state or federal levels that interfere with the mission of our Society.
We believe that historical work requires the preservation of and access to records and publications. And there is no denying in this moment that books, articles, whole journal issues, lesson plans, exhibits, art installations, archives, and possibly more, are being removed from public access through a combination of automated screening for key words and through employees being diverted from their usual work into screening publications and materials. It is true that after public outrage some few websites have been restored, but this has been thus far spotty at best.
The involvement of historians within the government in the process of removal means that many members of our Society have specific knowledge of what materials are being or have been removed. We encourage you to contribute to the archive.
The Society will archive materials and publications removed from federal and state entities since January 2025 that are materially relevant to the conduct of military history, including all arenas of research, publication, dissemination, and teaching. Persons with access to deleted materials are encouraged to send unaltered copies (or at least links to currently active web archived copies such as the Wayback Machine, etc.) to SocMilHist@proton.me. The SMH will both publicly list those materials and make copies available.
Alternatively, files may be directly (and anonymously) uploaded simply by dragging your file into the upload space and clicking the Upload button on this page. You may enter your name, your email, and something about the file you are uploading, but you do not have to. Finally, answer the simple math problem to prove you are a human!
Members with knowledge of other actions, to include archive deletions, exhibit alterations, publication removal, or the removal of books from libraries (with relevance to military history) are encouraged to report them (anonymously if need be) to SMH leadership using this linked form.
The SMH will try to verify all submitted information, and will indicate as such on the list. If materials are restored to public view or access we ask the members to let us know via the same form, and we will update the list accordingly, although we will continue to list the item as having been deleted at least for the time being.
All submissions should be solely related to the practice of military history. Submitters are asked to provide sources for their information. We will NOT accept or archive any materials not already in the public domain.
Among other things, it is important to note that in many cases, items removed are publications of our members. They are lines on C.V.s. Their disappearance threatens our members’ efforts at promotion, advancement, placement, or tenure.This archive will help fill that gap. I believe it is also worth pointing out that two separate votes were held on this motion, one for the draft text, made by the previous board, and one for the post-conference slightly revised text.
Asia Policy Point supports the Society's efforts to preserve copies of things now missing and their continued effort to follow and record any destruction of the historical record. We encourage our followers to submit to the Society military history records that have found to have been deleted or altered by the Trump Administration.
WASHINGTON – An executive order issued by the Trump administration on Friday night, March 14, calls for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s only federal agency for America’s libraries. The following statement was made by the American Library Association:
Americans have loved and relied on public, school and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer:
To dismiss some 75 committed workers and mission of an agency that advances opportunity and learning is to dismiss the aspirations and everyday needs of millions of Americans. And those who will feel that loss most keenly live in rural communities.
As seedbeds of literacy and innovation, our nation’s 125,000 public, school, academic and special libraries deserve more, not less support. Libraries of all types translate 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used in more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits every year, and many more virtual visits.
ALA implores President Trump to reconsider this short-sighted decision. We encourage U.S. Congressmembers, Senators and decision makers at every level of government to visit the libraries that serve their constituents and urge the White House to spare the modest federal funding for America’s libraries. And we call on all Americans who value reading, learning, and enrichment to reach out to their elected leaders and Show Up For Our Libraries at library and school meetings, town halls, and everywhere decisions are made about libraries.
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The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent federal agency that supports libraries and museums in all 50 states and U.S. territories through grantmaking, research and policy development. IMLS administers both federal grants to states, which determine how funds are spent, and discretionary grants to individual library entities.