Richard C. Hansen, Service No: 3820982

SF2c Hansen was captured at Corregidor. He was on the AM 15 USS Quail which was damaged by artillery fire and scuttled the next day on May 6, 1942 to avoid capture.
The only thing we have written by my father is a few years after he was released where he submitted a "Claim Against the Japanese Goverment". On the back he wrote:
Places of Imprisonment:
Bilibid Prison, Manila, Luzon Island, P.I.
Cabanatuan Camp #1, Manila, Luzon Island, P.I.
Lipa, Manila, Luzon Island, P.I.
Funatsu Prison Camp, Furakawa, Japan (He was here for a year and in the hospital).

He worked at the Airfield in Lipa, an aviation fuel depot in Manila (where he and other POWs poked holes in the bottom of the fuel drums and made existing cracks bigger so that the fuel would empty by the time they reached their destination), a lead mine and smelting plant in Furakawa, Japan.

Here, as one of a work detail of 11 POW's in the lead mine, he was the only survivor. The other 10 died of lead poisoning. He was left for dead but an hispanic soldier (POW) picked him up and carried him to a place where he was given treatment (I don't know his name or the name of the hospital). [Most likely TSgt. Jesus B.Gutierrez]

My dad retired after 20 years in the Navy as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 (WO4) and is survived by his wife, Kathleen Hansen, six children (they had 7), and 15 grandchildren. He is buried at the Presidio in San Francisco, CA and was given full military honors at his burial.