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{{Short description|United States Army officer (1915–2008)}}
{{Article issues| article=y| refimproveBLP = November 2009| cleanup = November 2009}}
{{Philippine name|de Guzman|Tabora}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name = Benigno G. Tabora
| name = Benigno G. Tabora
| image =
| image = SGM Benigno Tabora with fourth-graders.jpg
| caption =
| caption = Benigno talking to fourth-graders about his experiences in 2004
| born = {{Birth date and age|1920|11|22}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|11|22}}
| died = <!-- {{Death date and age|2008|02|17|1920|11|22|df=yes}} -->
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|02|17|1915|11|22}}
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial =
| birth_place = [[Lingayen]], [[Insular Government of the Philippine Islands|Philippine Islands]]
| placeofbirth = [[Philippines]]
| placeofdeath = [[Acton, Massachusetts]]
| death_place = [[Acton, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname =
| nickname =
| allegiance = [[United States of America]]
| allegiance = [[United States of America]]
| branch = [[United States Army]]
| branch = [[United States Army]]
| serviceyears = 1931-1968
| serviceyears = 1931–1968
| rank = [[Sergeant major#United States Army|Sergeant Major]]
| rank = [[Sergeant major#United States Army|Sergeant Major]]
| servicenumber =
| servicenumber =
| unit = [[Philippine Scouts]]
| unit = [[Philippine Scouts]]
| commands =
| commands =
| battles = [[World War II]]<br/>*[[Battle of the Philippines (1941–1942)]]<br/>**[[Battle of Bataan]]<br/>[[Korean War]]<br/>*[[Battle of Inchon]]
| battles = [[World War II]]
* [[Battle of the Philippines (1941–1942)]]
* [[Battle of Bataan]]
[[Korean War]]
* [[Battle of Inchon]]
| battles_label =
| battles_label =
| awards = [[Purple Heart]]
| awards = [[Purple Heart]]
| relations =
| relations =
| laterwork =
| laterwork =
}}
}}
'''Benigno G. Tabora''' (November 20, 1915 - February 17, 2008) was an [[United States|American]] [[veteran]] of both [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]]. Tabora was one of the last of an increasingly dwindling group of veterans who survived the [[Bataan Death March]] in May 1942 after the Japanese captured the [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines|Philippines during World War II]].<ref name=se> {{cite news |first=Marisa |last=Donelan
'''Benigno de Guzman Tabora''' (November 20, 1915 – February 17, 2008) was a [[Filipino Americans|Filipino American]] [[veteran]] of both [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]]. Tabora was one of the last of an increasingly dwindling group of veterans who survived the [[Bataan Death March]] in May 1942 after the Japanese captured the [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines|Philippines during World War II]].<ref name=se>{{cite news |first=Marisa |last=Donelan
|title=World War II vet Tabora dies at 92 |url=http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ci_8323998?source=rss |work= [[Sentinel & Enterprise]] |publisher=|date=2008-02-20 |accessdate=2008-03-17}}</ref> He spent eight months as a [[prisoner of war]] in a Japanese [[internment camp]].<ref name=se/> <ref name=lc> {{cite news |first=|last=|title=Benigno G. Tabora, 92 |url=http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2008/0229/Obituaries/021.html |work= [[Leominster Champion]] |publisher=|date=2008-02-20 |accessdate=2008-03-17}}</ref> Tabora served in the [[military intelligence]] during his 31 years in the Army.<ref name=se/>
|title=World War II vet Tabora dies at 92 |url=http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ci_8323998?source=rss |work= [[Sentinel & Enterprise]] |date=2008-02-20 |access-date=2008-03-17}}</ref> He spent eight months as a [[prisoner of war]] in a Japanese [[internment camp]].<ref name=se/><ref name=lc>{{cite news |title=Benigno G. Tabora, 92 |url=http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2008/0229/Obituaries/021.html |work= [[Leominster Champion]] |date=2008-02-20 |access-date=2008-03-17}}</ref> Tabora served in the [[military intelligence]] during his 31 years in the Army.<ref name=se/>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Tabora was born in the [[Philippines]] on November 20, 1915, to parents Benigno and Felipe (deGuzman) Tabora.<ref name=lc/> He joined the [[United States Army]] when he was 21 years old and served as a [[Philippine Scouts|Philippine Scout]].<ref name=se/> He quickly rose up the ranks to become a [[Commanding officer|unit commander]] in the [[81st Armored Brigade Combat Team (United States)|81st Infantry Brigade]].<ref name=se/>
Tabora was born in [[Lingayen]] in the [[Philippines]] on November 20, 1915, to parents Benigno and Felipa (de Guzman) Tabora.<ref name=lc/> He joined the [[United States Army]] when he was 21 years old<ref name=se/> and served in the [[45th Infantry Regiment (United States)|45th Infantry Regiment]] of the [[Philippine Scouts]], rising to corporal by the time of the [[Japanese invasion of the Philippines]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Howe|first=Kevin M.|date=12 April 1967|title=Recalls 3 Decades of Career...Bataan Death March To Devens|page=9|work=Fitchburg Sentinel|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57066365/benigno-tabora-interview/|url-access=subscription|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>


==World War II==
==World War II==
Tabora and thousands of other American servicemen were captured by the Japanese following the outbreak World War II and the occupation of the Philippines. Tabora survived the infamous [[Bataan Death March]] in May 1942,<ref name=lc/> in which hundreds of other prisoners died. For the following eight months, Tabora was held as a POW at the [[Camp O'Donnell]] internment camp at the end of the Bataan Death March.<ref name=lc/> Tabora was starved and tortured by the Japanese soldiers who guarded the [[POW camp]]. <ref name=wt> {{cite news |first=|last=|title=Leominster Man Recalls Ordeal As Prisoner Of Japanese
Tabora and thousands of other American servicemen were captured by the Japanese following the outbreak World War II and the occupation of the Philippines. He survived the infamous [[Bataan Death March]] in April 1942,<ref name=lc/> in which hundreds of other prisoners died. For the following eight months, Tabora was held as a POW at the [[Camp O'Donnell]] internment camp at the end of the Bataan Death March.<ref name=lc/> Tabora was starved and tortured by the Japanese soldiers who guarded the [[POW camp]].<ref name=wt>{{cite news |title=Leominster Man Recalls Ordeal As Prisoner Of Japanese
|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WO&p_theme=wo&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADE608DCB9DC9E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |work= [[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]] |publisher=|date=2000-11-01 |accessdate=2008-03-17}}</ref> Tabora was stabbed with a [[bayonet]] and beaten with [[rifle|rifle butt]]s when nine of his men escaped the camp.<ref name=se/> Japanese soldiers also held Tabora's head in water as a form of torture.<ref name=se/>
|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WO&p_theme=wo&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADE608DCB9DC9E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |work= [[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]] |date=2000-11-01 |access-date=2008-03-17}}</ref> He was also stabbed with a [[bayonet]] and beaten with [[rifle|rifle butt]]s when nine of his men escaped the camp.<ref name=se/> Japanese soldiers also held Tabora's head in water as a form of torture.<ref name=se/>


The abuse and torture took its toll. At the worst point in the camp, Tabora weighed less than ninety pounds and lost nearly all his hair.<ref name=se/> Tabora later wrote of his experience in the camp, "I planned to escape several times but my physical condition prevented me from doing so."<ref name=se/>
The abuse and torture took its toll. At the worst point in the camp, Tabora weighed less than ninety pounds and lost nearly all his hair.<ref name=se/> Tabora later wrote of his experience in the camp, "I planned to escape several times, but my physical condition prevented me from doing so."<ref name=se/>


Tabora's brother, as well as his commanders and many of his men from his [[regiment]], died as a result of the Baatan Death March and the maltreatment in the POW camp.<ref name=se/>
Tabora's brother, as well as his commanders and many of his men from his [[regiment]], died as a result of the Baatan Death March and the maltreatment in the POW camp.<ref name=se/>
Line 42: Line 47:


==Korean War==
==Korean War==
Tabora re-enlisted in the Army at the start of the [[Korean War]].<ref name=se/> However, after the torture he experienced during World War II as a POW, he promised himself that he would never be taken prisoner again. When Tabora's unit landed in [[Inchon, Korea]], he reportedly saved one [[bullet]], intending to take his own life if he was captured in [[combat]].<ref name=wt/> Fortunately there were no U.S. casualties during the Inchon landing and Tabora was never captured.<ref name=wt/>
Tabora re-enlisted in the army at the start of the [[Korean War]].<ref name=se/> However, after the torture he experienced during World War II as a POW, he promised himself that he would never be taken prisoner again. When Tabora's unit landed in [[Inchon, Korea]], he reportedly saved one [[bullet]], intending to take his own life if he was captured in [[combat]].<ref name=wt/> Fortunately there were no U.S. casualties during the Inchon landing and Tabora was never captured.<ref name=wt/>


==Late life==
==Late life==
Tabora remained in the Army following the Korean War. He retired from active duty in 1968 with the rank of [[Sergeant Major#United States|Sergeant Major]].<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/> Tabora spent a total of 31 years in the Army.<ref name=lc/>
Tabora remained in the Army following the Korean War. He retired from active duty in 1968 with the rank of [[Sergeant Major#United States|sergeant major]].<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/> Tabora spent a total of 31 years in the Army.<ref name=lc/>


Tabora took a position with the Cutler Hospital in [[Fort Devens]].<ref name=lc/> He moved to [[Leominster, Massachusetts]], and remained a resident of the area for over forty years.<ref name=lc/>
Tabora took a position with the Cutler Hospital in [[Fort Devens]].<ref name=lc/> He moved to [[Leominster, Massachusetts]], and remained a resident of the area for over forty years.<ref name=lc/>
Line 52: Line 57:


==Death==
==Death==
Benigno Tabora died of an illness at the Life Care Center of Acton in [[Acton, Massachusetts]], on February 17, 2008.<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/> He was survived by his wife, Mae T. (Fontaine) Tabora. The couple had been married for 32 years.<ref name=se/> His first wife, Emelia Caranto, died in 1974.<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/> Tabora was also survived by four children - Cara, Merlene, Elden and Napolean - and two stepdaughters, Gail and Linda.<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/>
Benigno Tabora died of an illness at the Life Care Center of Acton in [[Acton, Massachusetts]], on February 17, 2008.<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/> He was survived by his wife, Mae T. (Fontaine) Tabora. The couple had been married for 32 years.<ref name=se/> His first wife, Emelia Caranto, died in 1974.<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/> Tabora was also survived by four children&mdash;Cara, Merlene, Elden and Napoleon&mdash;and two stepdaughters, Gail and Linda.<ref name=se/><ref name=lc/>


==See also==
==See also==
{{portal|World War II}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{portal|United States Army|United States Department of the Army Seal.svg}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Persondata
|NAME= Tabora, Benigno G.
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army officer
|DATE OF BIRTH= November 20, 1915
|PLACE OF BIRTH= the [[Philippines]]
|DATE OF DEATH= February 17, 2008
|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Acton, Massachusetts]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabora, Benigno}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabora, Benigno}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Bataan Death March prisoners]]
[[Category:Bataan Death March prisoners]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Japan]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Japan]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Filipino Americans]]
[[Category:People from Leominster, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:American prisoners of war in World War II]]
[[Category:American prisoners of war]]
[[Category:American military personnel of Filipino descent]]
[[Category:Filipino Americans in the United States Military]]
[[Category:People from Pangasinan]]
[[Category:Filipino emigrants to the United States]]

Latest revision as of 14:04, 27 November 2024

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is de Guzman and the surname or paternal family name is Tabora.
Benigno G. Tabora
Benigno talking to fourth-graders about his experiences in 2004
Born(1915-11-22)November 22, 1915
Lingayen, Philippine Islands
DiedFebruary 17, 2008(2008-02-17) (aged 92)
Acton, Massachusetts, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1931–1968
RankSergeant Major
UnitPhilippine Scouts
Battles / warsWorld War II

Korean War

AwardsPurple Heart

Benigno de Guzman Tabora (November 20, 1915 – February 17, 2008) was a Filipino American veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. Tabora was one of the last of an increasingly dwindling group of veterans who survived the Bataan Death March in May 1942 after the Japanese captured the Philippines during World War II.[1] He spent eight months as a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp.[1][2] Tabora served in the military intelligence during his 31 years in the Army.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Tabora was born in Lingayen in the Philippines on November 20, 1915, to parents Benigno and Felipa (de Guzman) Tabora.[2] He joined the United States Army when he was 21 years old[1] and served in the 45th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Scouts, rising to corporal by the time of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.[3]

World War II

[edit]

Tabora and thousands of other American servicemen were captured by the Japanese following the outbreak World War II and the occupation of the Philippines. He survived the infamous Bataan Death March in April 1942,[2] in which hundreds of other prisoners died. For the following eight months, Tabora was held as a POW at the Camp O'Donnell internment camp at the end of the Bataan Death March.[2] Tabora was starved and tortured by the Japanese soldiers who guarded the POW camp.[4] He was also stabbed with a bayonet and beaten with rifle butts when nine of his men escaped the camp.[1] Japanese soldiers also held Tabora's head in water as a form of torture.[1]

The abuse and torture took its toll. At the worst point in the camp, Tabora weighed less than ninety pounds and lost nearly all his hair.[1] Tabora later wrote of his experience in the camp, "I planned to escape several times, but my physical condition prevented me from doing so."[1]

Tabora's brother, as well as his commanders and many of his men from his regiment, died as a result of the Baatan Death March and the maltreatment in the POW camp.[1]

Tabora managed to make his way out of the camp. He was later commissioned as a United States Army officer for fighting the Japanese behind enemy lines.[1] Tabora was later promoted to captain by the time he left the army after the war.[1]

Korean War

[edit]

Tabora re-enlisted in the army at the start of the Korean War.[1] However, after the torture he experienced during World War II as a POW, he promised himself that he would never be taken prisoner again. When Tabora's unit landed in Inchon, Korea, he reportedly saved one bullet, intending to take his own life if he was captured in combat.[4] Fortunately there were no U.S. casualties during the Inchon landing and Tabora was never captured.[4]

Late life

[edit]

Tabora remained in the Army following the Korean War. He retired from active duty in 1968 with the rank of sergeant major.[1][2] Tabora spent a total of 31 years in the Army.[2]

Tabora took a position with the Cutler Hospital in Fort Devens.[2] He moved to Leominster, Massachusetts, and remained a resident of the area for over forty years.[2]

Massachusetts veterans groups tried in vain to have Tabora awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained as a POW.[1] However their requests were turned down.[1] Tabora, himself, never asked for the award.[1] He remained active in veterans organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans.[2]

Death

[edit]

Benigno Tabora died of an illness at the Life Care Center of Acton in Acton, Massachusetts, on February 17, 2008.[1][2] He was survived by his wife, Mae T. (Fontaine) Tabora. The couple had been married for 32 years.[1] His first wife, Emelia Caranto, died in 1974.[1][2] Tabora was also survived by four children—Cara, Merlene, Elden and Napoleon—and two stepdaughters, Gail and Linda.[1][2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Donelan, Marisa (2008-02-20). "World War II vet Tabora dies at 92". Sentinel & Enterprise. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Benigno G. Tabora, 92". Leominster Champion. 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  3. ^ Howe, Kevin M. (12 April 1967). "Recalls 3 Decades of Career...Bataan Death March To Devens". Fitchburg Sentinel. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Leominster Man Recalls Ordeal As Prisoner Of Japanese". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. 2000-11-01. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
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