Survivor
By Caroline Rainbolt-Forbes
Reginald A. Pacheco
October 3, 1921- January 30, 1990
Photo of Reginald Pacheco in uniform. Photo taken from Fold3, https://www.fold3.com/page/84737824-reginald-a-pacheco.
Reginald A. Pacheco endured more than most servicemen could ever imagine, having survived one of the most traumatic events in U.S. military history—the Bataan Death March. Reginald was born on October 03, 1921 in San Pablo, a small town in southern Colorado, to Virgilio and Delfina Pacheco.[1] He was born into a large family with thirteen siblings and half siblings.[2] Reginald lived in Colorado until he enlisted in the Army, at age 18, on August 28, 1940, as the war raged across Europe.[3]
When America entered World War II in 1941, Reginald was sent to defend his country in the Pacific theatre. While fighting in the war, Reginald was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army and made a prisoner of war. He was detained at the Osaka POW Main Camp, located in Osaka Bay, Japan. [4] As a part of their captivity, detainees were required to perform hard, manual labor working on the docks.[5] During his time as a POW, he was forced to march 65 miles, to another camp, suffering extreme heat and abuse; thousands of his fellow POWs did not survive.[6] This horrific event later became known as the Bataan Death March. This event involved 75,000 soldiers, American and Filipino, and ended with 10,000 of the 25,580 American POWs dying.[7] It is considered to have been one of the greatest war crimes committed by the Japanese in World War II. After the war, many survivors wrote of their experiences, needing their exploits to be heard and “to define a place for themselves in the war’s epic.”[8]. Reginald was eventually liberated from the prison camp at the end of the war and continued to fight for his country. After his initial enlistment ended, Reginald reenlisted for a second time on June 28, 1946 and was discharged from service on April 1, 1947.[9]
After his time in the military, Reginald returned home to Colorado, married Pauline Pancine, and started a family.[10] Reginald was a caring father, but what he experienced during his time in the military affected him long after his service had ended. His child explained that “yes, he had his issues and most stemmed from being a P.O.W. and a survivor of the Death March of Bataan.”[11] The effects of being a prisoner of war are devastating enough, with numerous studies being done linking this type of military captivity to chronic post-traumatic depressive symptomology, and these effects have been seen to be escalated for World War II POWs from the Pacific.[12] Regardless of his mental struggles, he was a dedicated father.[13]
Reginald A Pacheco now is buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery with his wife Pauline.[14] His legacy lives through the loved ones he left behind and through the stories of the Bataan Death March.
Footnotes ↓
[1] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com, accessed July 23, 2020, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/family-tree/person/tree/151793924/person/162012494922/facts?_phsrc=run37&_phstart=successSource
[2] Ibid.
[3] U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010, Ancestry.com.
[4] The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, 1920 - 1975; Record Group Number: 389.
[5] James Ammon and Samuel Walters, History of the Osaka Main POW Camp - Chikko, n.d., accessed July 23, 2020, http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/camplists/osaka/chikko/warcrimes_report.htm.
[6] “Reginald A Pacheco: Person, Pictures and Information,” accessed July 22, 2020, Fold3, n.d., https://www.fold3.com/page/84737824-reginald-a-pacheco/facts.
[7] Frank Jacob, Japanese War Crimes during World War II: Atrocity and the Psychology of Collective Violence (Santa Barbara, CA, Praeger, 2018).
[8] Ibid.
[9] U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010, Ancestry.com, accessed July 27, 2020, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2441&h=1063792&tid=&pid=&queryId=5ea64e45b9165216411b09fd4288f181&usePUB=true&_phsrc=lRh145&_phstart=successSource.
[10] “Pauline Pacheco (1926-2015) - Find A Grave,” Find a Grave, n.d., accessed July 23, 2020, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155210556/pauline-pacheco.
[11] “Reginald A Pacheco: Person, Pictures and Information,” Fold3, July 12, 2015, accessed July 22, 2020, https://www.fold3.com/page/84737824-reginald-a-pacheco/stories, comment by dezzdito104.
[12] William F. Page, Epidemiology in Military and Veteran Populations: Proceedings of the Second Biennial Conference, March 7, 1990 (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1991).
[13] “Reginald A Pacheco: Person, Pictures and Information.” Fold3, July 12, 2015. Accessed July 22, 2020. https://www.fold3.com/page/84737824-reginald-a-pacheco/stories., comment by dezzdito104.
[14] “Pauline Pacheco (1926-2015) - Find A Grave,” Find a Grave, n.d., accessed July 23, 2020, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155210556/pauline-pacheco.
More Stories
