One Pierce County veteran didn’t make it home from World War II, but efforts continue to recover his remains.
Laura Anderson remembers her uncle, Hubert Waters, this Veteran’s Day.
Anderson said she recently received a letter asking for DNA samples from Waters’ family members in the hopes that the samples will eventually be able to identify Waters’ remains.
An affable young man, Waters grew up in Pierce County and enlisted in the Air Force.
He was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Squadron at the Savannah Air Base. Later, he was sent to the Philippines.
His squadron was later captured and was part of the infamous Bataan Death March in 1942.
Waters survived the march and was trusted by the Japanese to feed their pigs. He survived by saving some of the excess food that was to be fed to the pigs.
In December, 1944, Waters and some 500 of his fellow soldiers being held by the Japanese as prisoners of war were transfered to Subic Bay in the Philippines aboard the ship the Maraka Muru.
American planes attacked the ship and Waters was killed instantly.
Some reports indicated the bodies of the deceased were cremated, while some say they were buried. Waters’ sacrifice is recognized on a monument in the Philippines and there is also a gravestone for him at Blackshear Cemetery.
His fellow soldiers remembered him as a “very considerate and friendly lad” and “without a doubt one of the best liked boys in the squadron”.
Anderson said she just wants others to know of her uncle’s sacrifice for his country. She has prepared files for each of her family members collecting memorabilia and memories of Waters.
