Lay

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Personal Details

  • Last Name: Lay
  • First Name Middle Initial: Kermit
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Military Bio:

Sgt. Kermit Lay, left the Horse Cavalry and re-enlisted as Private in the Aviation Ordnance. The recruiting sergeant had told him they were forming a cadre and he would probably make Staff Sgt. He arrived at Fort Douglas, Utah where the 1st Sergeant told him that all vacancies had been filled. He was assigned to 724th Aviation Ordnance Co. A month later they were ordered to the Philippines, arriving at Nichols Field 45 days before the outbreak of World War II. He wasn’t happy about that as he had finished a tour of duty there in 1935-37. On the 8th of December 1941 the Japanese destroyed all the planes on the ground. On 24th of December Gen. MacArthur declared Manila an open city and ordered all troops to Bataan. Air Corps units were issued Springfield rifles and were named Provisional Air Corps Infantry. Kermit received a battlefield commission as 2nd Lieutenant, Infantry, 25th January, 1942 and has the distinction of being the only private to do so. He made the Bataan Death March and was a prisoner of war for 3-1/2 years. Kermit retired from the Army as a Captain in 1951. He was awarded and received many medals for his duties while serving his country including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star w/ Cluster, the Purple Heart w/ Cluster, the POW Medal, the Combat Infrantry Badge, the WW II Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation w/2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Philippine Unit Citation, the American Defense Medal w/ Star, the Asiatic Pacific Theater Medal w/ 2 Stars, and many more. Paula was born in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma on March 13, 1926. She married Kermit Lay on August 19, 1946. She retired from a long career in Federal Civic Service as a GS-9 with her last position as a Traffic Manager in Logistics at Fort Mason, California. She gave unselfishly of herself in keeping the ex-POW’s memories alive with a newsletter and being a contributing factor in Lou Reda’s film production "Japanese War Crimes - Murder Under The Sun." Paula co-founded with Kermit Lay the "Zentsujian Ex-POW Quarterly Newsletter" in 1980, named after the infamous prisoner of war camp located in Zentsuji on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The publication ended due to failing health in January of 1996. Originally the letter was sent to POW’s interned at Zentsuji and grew into a large nationwide audience as well as many readers in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The readership began with a handful of survivors and grew into a large mailing exceeding 400 of which many were prisoners of war in various locations in the Pacific Campaign. As time passed the Newsletter became a true labor of love for Paula who spent many hours preparing the eagerly awaited information with her readers who enjoyed the contact with old friends via the Newsletter. Many readers have inform3d me that the Newsletter was the only link to those trying days of WWII and appreciated the effort in its production. Paula always closed with love from Paula (POW) which meant "Poor Old Wife". The "Zentsujians" conducted Annual Conventions with the 1998 site held in Reno, Nevada in August of this year. In October of 1992 the Convention was held in Arlington, Virginia. Paula and I had the honor of being selected to place a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Solder at the Arlington National Cemetery, an honor Paula and I treasured. It was at the October 1992 Convention that we had the pleasure of meeting Claude M. Kicklighter, Lieutenant General USA Retired, who was the Executive Director of the 50th Anniversary of World War II Commemoration Committee. This ultimately led to a meeting with Lou Reda, the renowned TV Producer who has produced a number of historical programs for the Arts & Entertainment and History Channels. The "Z" Convention was in Dallas in 1995 at which time Paula spent considerable time with Mr. Reda in pre-production work in the film’s production. "Japanese War Crimes…" is a hard hitting, blunt and truthful history lesson which without Paula’s assistance would not have enjoyed its success or perhaps not have been filmed. Paula’s name is listed in the ending credits, which I am extremely proud of. I lost my beloved "POW" on August 2, 1997 and appreciate being able to share her accomplishments with fellow ex-POW’s, friends and all that are reading this information.

My Message to Future Generations:

Post Military Occupation

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  • Prisoner-of-war status: Liberated
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