Earl Martin Szwabo

Szwabo, Earl Martin, passed peacefully on Saturday, August 15, 2015 at the age of 93. Beloved husband of the late Mary Elizabeth Szwabo for 69 years; devoted father of Dr. Peggy (John Forbis) Szwabo, Michael Szwabo, and Mark Szwabo; dear grandfather of Wesley Szwabo-Forbis (Brittani Alvarez), Nikolas (Stephanie) Szwabo, 2nd Class Petty Officer Jozef (Brenda) Szwabo and great-grandfather of Alekzander Szwabo; dear uncle, great-uncle, cousin and friend. Services: Funeral service 10 am, Monday, August 31 at HUTCHENS Mortuary, 675 Graham Rd, Florissant, MO. Interment National Cemetery at Jefferson Barracks. Visitation Sunday, 3-8 pm. Memorial donations appreciated to Descendants Group-American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor - In care of Ms. Judy Pruitt, 23 Elwell, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 or http://dog-adcampaign.indie/made.com/product/Jim-collier-memorial-fund or American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor ADBC Museum WWII, Brooke County Public Library, 945 Main Street, Wellsburg, WV 26070 or USO of Missouri, 10701 Lambert International Blvd. or PO Box 10367, St. Louis, MO 63145 Earl M. Szwabo Chief Warrant Officer POW Battery C 59 CAC (Written by Abby Abrams while a volunteer at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum) Earl Szwabo served in the Army and was stationed in the Philippines during World War II. In 1942 when he was 17 years old, Szwabo’s unit was taken by the Japanese as prisoners of war. For the next 42 months, Szwabo was moved from camp to camp, forced to work in Japanese factories and suffered as countless friends died in the hands of their Japanese captors. The Japanese first took Earl to Bilibid Prison in Manila, where he stayed for a month before they sent him to the Cabanatuan City Camp for one year. He was then sent to help build an airport for Japanese troops on Palawan Island. After Palawan, Szwabo was sent to work at a copper mine factory in Nagoya, Japan. Szwabo worked at the factory for about 18 months, melting copper for the Japanese war fleet. On August 6, 1945, United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In September 1945 Szwabo and the other POWs took a train to Tokyo and found a Red Cross ship where they received medical care. Szwabo was transported to the United States for recovery and treatment. He remained hospitalized for several months as doctors helped him regain his health after 42 months of near starvation, deplorable living conditions, and ill-treatment in Japan. Szwabo decided to stay in the Army and advanced in rank to become a chief warrant officer. He retired November 1, 1960. In September 2010, 65 years after his liberation from Japanese captivity, Earl Szwabo was invited back to Japan with five other former POWs. They were part of the nation’s first ever “peace visit” and received an apology from the Japanese government for their inhumane treatment. Earl Szwabo grew up in St. Louis City and resided in St. Louis County.

Earl Martin Szwabo

September 4, 1921 - August 15, 2015