WILLIAM F. HOGABOOM, CAPT, USMC

William Hogaboom '39

Date of birth: September 8, 1916

Date of death: December 15, 1944

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1939 Lucky Bag:

WILLIAM FREDERICK HOGABOOM

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Bill, Hogy

At the day of the final reckoning, even if Bill is found to lack any virtues or to possess any vices, his accounts will assuredly be kept high on the credit side of the ledger through his super-abundance of that godly virtue, patience. Hoagy, the patient soul personified, endures anything, and perseveres uncomplainingly at any task until it is completed. He claims Vicksburg—he doesn't pronounce it that way—as his home range. If anyone is in doubt as to the site of that fair city, ask any Youngster to draw you a picture of its location. He is addicted to flannel trousers, and goes out for the gym team so he can wear them with impunity.

Gym Team 4; Manager 3, GNT; Christmas Card Committee; C.P.O.

WILLIAM FREDERICK HOGABOOM

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Bill, Hogy

At the day of the final reckoning, even if Bill is found to lack any virtues or to possess any vices, his accounts will assuredly be kept high on the credit side of the ledger through his super-abundance of that godly virtue, patience. Hoagy, the patient soul personified, endures anything, and perseveres uncomplainingly at any task until it is completed. He claims Vicksburg—he doesn't pronounce it that way—as his home range. If anyone is in doubt as to the site of that fair city, ask any Youngster to draw you a picture of its location. He is addicted to flannel trousers, and goes out for the gym team so he can wear them with impunity.

Gym Team 4; Manager 3, GNT; Christmas Card Committee; C.P.O.

Loss

William was taken as a prisoner of war following the fall of Corregidor and was killed on December 15, 1944 when American aircraft mistakenly attacked the POW ship (Oryoku Maru) he was aboard.

Other Information

William was mentioned repeatedly in FROM SHANGHAI TO CORREGIDOR: Marines in the Defense of the Philippines, by J. Michael Miller. He was also mentioned here.

He has a memory marker in Mississippi.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant William Frederick Hogaboom (MCSN: 0-5957), United States Marine Corps, for distinguished service in action while serving with Company K, Third Battalion, FOURTH Marines (Detached) as Commanding Officer of Battery A, Navy Bluejacket-Marine Battalion (Mariveles), in action against the enemy in the defense of the Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, Philippine Islands, from 23 to 31 January. Lieutenant Hogaboom, while attached to a composite Blue Jacket-Marine Battalion hastily organized to expel a strong enemy detachment which had infiltrated and occupied commanding ground dangerously threatening the Miravalis area of Bataan, rendered conspicuous service in controlling and handling mixed units in this action, which succeeded in isolating the Japanese force on Longoskawayan Point where the enemy was destroyed. Lieutenant Hogaboom displayed outstanding qualities of leadership, and by his courageous actions and tireless efforts contributed materially to the success of this important and timely operation. His actions at all times were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Action Date: January 23 - 31, 1942
Service: Marine Corps
Company: Company K
Battalion: 3d Battalion
Regiment: 4th Marines (Detached)
Division: Navy Bluejacket-Marine Battalion (Mariveles)

Prisoner of War Medal

From Hall of Valor:

First Lieutenant William Frederick Hogaboom (MCSN: 0-5957), United States Marine Corps, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
General Orders: NARA Database: Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 - 1947
Action Date: May 6, 1942 - MIA in Captivity
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: First Lieutenant
Division: Prisoner of War (Philippine Islands)

Class of 1939 Marines at the Fall of Corregidor

At least seven Marines of the Class of 1939 were captured by the Japanese when Corregidor fell in May 1942; six of them perished in captivity. Four were awarded the Navy Cross for their heroism and distinguished service in six months of combat under arduous and increasingly desperate conditions. A fifth was awarded the Navy Cross for action in the Korean War.

Two men — William Hogaboom and Willard Holdredge — had extremely similar experiences, and are often mentioned together in after-action reports. Carter Simpson's was also similar; he also managed to keep an exceptionally interesting diary that survived the war. All three of these Marines were killed during or immediately after the attack on Oryoku Maru on December 14, 1945.

A fourth classmate, Ralph Mann, Jr., died in captivity in September 1942.

The final two, Hugh Tistadt, Jr. and John Fantone, survived the Oryoku Maru attack but perished in POW camps a few months later.

A seventh classmate, William Harris, was also captured, but escaped by swimming across Manila Bay from Corregidor to Bataan on May 22, 1942. He was later recaptured and tortured by the Japanese but survived the war to personally witness the Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri. He was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism in the Korean War.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.