Pvt. Howard J. JANDRO

HOWARD J. JANDRO
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Howard J. JANDRO

Pvt. 'E' Company, 2d Bn, 503d PRCT

K.I.A., Battery Monja, Wheeler Pt., Corregidor

23 February 1945

The 2nd Platoon finally was able to make its way up to the first of Battry Monja's two entrances along the road with more frantic fire coming from those entrances as they approached. When they were within range, white phosphorous grenades were tossed into the entrances. This always precipitated a screaming attack by Japs rushing out. They would, immediately, be mowed down by our men. The white phosphorous Bazooka rounds drew the biggest reaction and netted many kills.

Finally a handfull of the 2nd platoon men made it past the second entrance but could not get further because the Jap fire appeared to be heavier. It was while they were at the end of the 2nd platoon advance that PFC Howard Jandro was killed and PFC Brown mortally wounded.

Don Abbott

For more detail of this action, See Don's Article
"E" Coy Attack on Btty. Monja

Pvt. Howard J Jandro was one of two troopers killed in a fight which erupted near the mouth of Cheney ravine. At dusk the troopers of Company 'E' dug in for the night, having failed to retrieve the bodies of their two fallen comrades because of the intensity of enemy fire. The following morning patrols into the previous evening’s battle area discovered that the bodies of Pvt. Jandro and of 2d Lt. Emory N. Ball were gone. They could only surmise that the Japanese had carted away the American corpses along with their own dead during the night. Whether the dead troopers were taken to a cave for burial or to the sea for the high tide to carry them away remains unknown.

Bennett M. Guthrie

Jandro was a new man who was a BAR ammunition bearer when he jumped. By this time he was a BAR gunner. He said he was not experienced and raised up, was shot, and died.

Fitzhugh Millican