Louis Merl Eaton
Corporal Louis M. Eaton served with Mike Company, Third Battalion, 4th Marines.
He was captured at Corregidor and died while a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, on 1 December 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 191772
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 6, 1906
at Haviland, KS
Parents
James Worth Eaton
Katherine Leota (Smith) Eaton (d. 1907)
Education
Grammar school
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
October 9, 1923
at Parris Island, SC
Home Of Record
Fowler, KS
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. James W. Eaton
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
M/3/4th Marines
Campaigns Served
Philippine Islands / Corregidor
Individual Decorations
Prisoner of War Medal
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Louis Eaton, an “old salt” Marine with nearly twenty years in uniform, was stationed in the Philippine Islands when the United States entered World War II. His unit was re-designated as the Third Battalion, 4th Marines, and Eton served with Mike Company in the defense of the Philippines and the siege of Corregidor. He was promoted to the rank of corporal in April 1942.
Eaton was captured in the fall of Corregidor on 6 May 1942, and held as a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan Camp #1, Nueva Ecija province. Unsanitary living conditions, harsh treatment by guards, and a starvation diet took a rapid toll on the prisoners of war; Eaton came down with dysentery in October, and reported to the camp hospital. He ultimately died of the disease on the night of 1 December 1942.
Burial Information or Disposition
Eaton was buried in Grave 823 of the Cabanatuan cemetery, along with eleven other prisoners – all members of the United States Army.
| Name | Rank | Service Number | Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean, Fred E. | Corporal | 6285997 | 28 | Identified |
| Rusch, Henry H. | First Sergeant | R-3271468 | 46 | Unaccounted |
| McClung, Dale W. | Sergeant | 19017273 | 24 | Unaccounted |
| Spencer, Norman F. | Sergeant | 20200272 | 20 | Identified |
| Hall, George W. | Private | 11014679 | 23 | Unaccounted |
| Miller, John A. | PFC | 6977636 | 24 | Unaccounted |
| Eaton, Louis M. | Corporal | 191772 | 36 | Unaccounted |
| Keech, Carl H. | Staff Sergeant | 6679942 | 47 | Identified |
| Butler, Edward W. | PFC | 18049241 | 22 | Identified |
| Wyatt, John H. | PFC | 6398417 | 23 | Identified |
| Hayes, Lewis E. | PFC | 19056745 | 21 | Identified |
| Birch, Dall C. | PFC | 19054481 | 32 | Identified |
Grave 823 was exhumed in 1946, and the remains sent to Manila for examination. Those that could not be individually identified – including Corporal Eaton – were buried as unknowns in the Manila American Cemetery.
The unknowns listed above are associated with X-517, 518, 521, 524, and 526, Manila Mausoleum #2.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. James W. Eaton.
Location Of Loss
Corporal Eaton died at Cabanatuan Camp #1.
