Pennsylvania HR 335: A Resolution honoring the life and legacy of United States Army Air Forces Warrant Officer William J. McMichael, expressing condolences to his family and commending with gratitude and respect the recovery and return of his remains.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 2413
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 335
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MALONEY, COOK, D'ORSIE, GILLEN, JAMES, MAJOR,
SCHEUREN, SMITH, KUZMA, O'NEAL, NEILSON AND KAUFFMAN,
OCTOBER 7, 2025
TO UNCONTESTED CALENDAR UNDER RULE 35 OCTOBER 7, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of United States Army Air Forces
Warrant Officer William J. McMichael, expressing condolences
to his family and commending with gratitude and respect the
recovery and return of his remains.
WHEREAS, William McMichael was born June 30, 1905, in
Boyertown, Berks County; and
WHEREAS, William McMichael's sister, Audrey McMichael,
survives him; and
WHEREAS, A generation of McMichaels who never met William
McMichael include a grandson, Timothy McMichael, three great-
grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, William McMichael held the rank of Warrant Officer
Junior Grade at the time of his death; and
WHEREAS, William McMichael enlisted in the United States Army
Air Forces in 1922 at 17 years of age; and
WHEREAS, William McMichael, having earned an honorable
discharge, reenlisted into active service with the United States
Army Air Forces in 1932; and
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WHEREAS, In July 1941, William McMichael's unit was
transported to the Philippine Air Depot, Nichols Field military
base, Manila; and
WHEREAS, On December 8, 1941, Japanese air raids began at
Nichols Field and other Pacific military bases; and
WHEREAS, On December 22, 1941, the Japanese invasion of Luzon
Island near the shores of the Nichols Field base prompted United
States forces to retreat west to the Bataan Peninsula; and
WHEREAS, As armed conflict broke out, United States and
Filipino personnel were ordered to retreat toward the peninsula;
and
WHEREAS, On January 23, 1942, United States and Filipino
ground forces held off a Japanese amphibious landing assault on
the peninsula; and
WHEREAS, These ground forces blocked Japanese advances for
more than four months, running low on food, medicine and
ammunition and subject to Japanese gains in air superiority; and
WHEREAS, Disease and starvation were rampant throughout the
United States and Filipino ranks; and
WHEREAS, Without reinforcements, on April 9, 1942, the United
States Army Forces in the Far East surrendered; and
WHEREAS, The forcible transfer of prisoners of war, referred
to as the Bataan Death March, was an 11-day ordeal; and
WHEREAS, Between 72,000 and 78,000 United States and Filipino
prisoners of war marched 65 miles at gunpoint; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino prisoners of
war and an estimated 500 to 650 United States prisoners of war
died from exhaustion, starvation and disease or were shot by
their captors; and
WHEREAS, Survivors entered the Cabanatuan prison camp; and
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WHEREAS, On May 5, 1942, the Japanese landed at Corregidor
Island, cementing their foothold on the Bataan Peninsula; and
WHEREAS, The next day, the remaining United States and
Filipino forces surrendered and were sent to Cabanatuan; and
WHEREAS, William McMichael, who endured the Bataan Death
March, was among the prisoners of war at Cabanatuan; and
WHEREAS, Cabanatuan infamously lacked food, water, sanitary
conditions and medical care; and
WHEREAS, The prisoners of war would be transferred throughout
the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, forced into manual labor in harsh
conditions to support the Japanese war effort; and
WHEREAS, By the summer of 1944, the Japanese began
transporting prisoners of war from the South Pacific island
chains to the Japanese home islands on hell ships, the cramped,
unsanitary transport vessels overloaded with bodies; and
WHEREAS, Under the Japanese plan, these prisoners of war
would be used for political leverage in surrender negotiations;
and
WHEREAS, On October 12, 1944, William McMichael was among
more than 900 prisoners of war prepared for transport on an
unmarked hell ship named the Oryoku Maru; and
WHEREAS, The next day, the Oryoku Maru departed Manila,
headed for the Japanese home islands; and
WHEREAS, Within hours of its departure, the Oryoku Maru was
registered as an enemy Japanese vessel by the aircraft carrier
USS Hornet; and
WHEREAS, The USS Hornet, unaware of the prisoners of war on
board, deployed aircraft to intercept; and
WHEREAS, This action killed more than 300 prisoners of war;
and
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WHEREAS, Thereafter 1,300 prisoners and crew made it to shore
alive at Olongapo Point, Subic Bay, Philippines; and
WHEREAS, From December 13 through 19, 1944, William McMichael
and his fellow prisoners of war were held at an Olongapo Point
tennis court; and
WHEREAS, From December 20 through 24, 1944, William McMichael
and his fellow prisoners of war were sent by truck to a train
station in San Fernando, Pamapanga,