Hi, Crieghton,

I was too young to be in that great struggle but I have a ton of books on the subject and read and re read them.  When I was in high school (1956) I read They
Were Expendable and I was hooked.

Many Lawton's "Some Survived" is a source for the sinking at Olanapo.  In it he has listed the 1607 American Prisoners aboard the 3 Hell Ships.  He also has passages in the book which reference Maj Bauer.  First I want to menion, in case you don't already know, but in the prisoner list Maj Bauer's name is misspelled.  It has "Karol A. Bayer - Ukn".  Which means they didn't have any address.  This list was prepared by 4 survivors of the ordeal for inclusion in the Oryoku Maru Story in 1982.  Maybe more information is there.
(The only misspelling in the name is on this list of personnel)Pg 33-35
e are the Passages from the book: (takes place at Cabanatuan shortly after it was opened)
    In the nearby barracks were Maj Karol Bauer and Lieutenant Francis Scarborough, officers of my outfit. (Bauer and Scarborough were the only two of nine Americans who served with the 31st Inf, PA, whom I saw during the 3 1/2 years as a prisoner.  They died later on a prison ship.  Col Erwin was killed on the Death March.  Most of the others either died in combat or were lost on prison ships en route to Japan.)
    Maj Bauer was seated on a bench infront of his cabin where he and nine other majors bunked together.  With a startled look he exclaimed, "Well, if it isn't Manny Lawton!  I'm glad to see you made it.  So many were lost."  His voice weakened and his eyes became blurred.
    "It's wonderful to see you, Karl.  We must be the only two Americans left in the Regiment."  I answered with equal emotion.
    "I saw Lieutenant Scarborough this morning.  Don't know who else is here."
    Bauer didn't much resemble the short wiry, neat officer with crew-cut black hair I remembered.  Before me now stood a weak, gaunt, ghost of the West Pointer of only a few months earlier.  His checks were sunken and his eyes deep set, but his worm smile was still with him.  We sat and talked for more that an hour, reviewing the Death March.
    "Karl, did you see many of the atrocities everyone is telling about?"
    "Yes.  It's all true.  It was terrible.  I saw men get shot for trying to get water or for not being able to keep up.  There were hundreds of corpses beside the road."
    "You must have started on the second or third day.  The earlier groups had less actual killings," I observed.
    "I had tried to get to Corregidor, so they didn't get me until April 11.  I joined those who had withdrawn toward the west coast and then drifted down to Mriveles.  That meant at least ten or more additional miles of marchin, and then ttwo more days with no food.  They werealready hungry and weak.  Many of them had malaria, too."
    As we talked, Sgt Calvin Graif of Carlsbad, New Mexico, walked by.  Hearing our conversation, he stopped and joined us.  Graef was First Sergeant of Battery H, 200th Antiaircraft Regiment (200th CA Reg), from his state.  Being a National Guard unit meant that its ranks were filled with local boys.  For a state with lless than one million population to furnish so many men, they had to draw from practically every community.  It was to mean collective heartbreak, for with few exceptions every framily every family lost a son or relative in Japanese POW camps.  Throughout New Mexico today are to be found monuments, lakes and shrines with the sad word BATAAN emblazened in bold letters---areminder that there once lived and played some of the state's finest and bravest.
Here is Pg 174 and it takes place at Olongapo, Subic Bay after they leave the ship.
    Major Karl Bauer, who headed the evacuation, said, "There isn't much time.  Forget about the road."  We loaded our troops and equiptment in the darkness and hastily departed, leaving the dynamite in place, unexploded.  Nearly three years had passed since that night.  Now, prisoners, we were crowded into Japanese trucks, being moved to a destination unknown to us.

    These were the only two parts of the book that made reference to Maj Bauer.  I noticed the frequent use of Karl instead of Karol.  Maybe in this book it stated why this exception and in quoting the two passages I missed it.

If you haven't been advised of these passages I hope they are of help to you.

All the best

Thomas McGeeney

Caroline,

With your new information I went to Robert Lapham's book, "Lapham's Raiders", and there is a photo of officers celebrating in the Army Navy Club in Aug of '41.  Probably Karol is among them.  Lt Col Lapham passed away when I moved to Arizona in Dec '03.  He lived with in 5 miles of my house here, and I didn't know it until a year later.  His widow passed away within the last 6 months and I sent a card to their daughter, who lives here also.

The Index of Lapham's Raiders doesn't list Karol or the other officers mentioned, except Lt Col Lapham.  The book covers mostly Guerrilla activities but the first 2 chapters cover the fight before the surrender.  You might want to get a copy and read about before the surrender.  There are 2 photos that don't have Karol named but he might be in them.  One is the group at the party in Aug of '41 at the Army Navy Club.  The other is the retiremnet party for Col Lapham's 1st Sgt, but since Karol wasn't in Lapham's company he milght not have been there.

Hope this information is of some help.  I appologize for not sending it earlier but I didn't associate Karol's association with Lapham.

Regards,

Tom

Outstanding News !!
Through this excellent site - I and my mother have FOUND the long missing daughter of Karol Anthony Bauer ! Her name is Nancy Grace Bauer Earnest. And it was while her husband Walter researching his military connections that he found this site and to their surprise,
someone looking for them all these years ( 68! )
Nancy had wondered  for decades if her father had other siblings, and where any of them might live today.
Thank You P.S.H.S. for being here and for being responsible for this emotional reunion.
Creighton Demarest and Antoinette Bauer

To witness such joy out of this most devastating time in American-Philippine history does everyone associated so much good.  When I have a bad day, I think of this moment of bringing families closer and everything is brighter.  

Tom McGeeney   ord510@cox.net

I want to thank everyone who has contributed
in my search for my cousin Nancy and her mother
Marjorie Bauer. You may read about our story
online at www.stamfordadvocate.com . (Connecticut)
Search for the Saturday Dec. 9, 2006  front page
story using " Creighton Demarest " .
Another story appears in the Sunday Dec. 10, 2006
The Miami Herald, " Resident finds long-lost family", by Elaine De Valle
I would like to thank the P.S.H.S. because this was the vehicle that made a hopeless search successful.
Creighton Demarest & Antoinette Bauer McIntyre

Maj. Bauer's six sisters at home in Hammondsport,
NY. as the war goes on- and they worry about their
brother Karol