John Wesley Ruark
Corporal John W. Ruark served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 4th Marines.
He was captured at Corregidor and died while a prisoner of war at Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, on 19 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 278681
Current Status
ACCOUNTED FOR
as of 25 March 2025
Recovery Organization
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Read press release
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 3, 1921
at Silvis, IL
Parents
Emile Franklin Ruark
Rose A. (Overton) Ruark
Education
East Moline High School (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Enlisted from high school
Service Life
Entered Service
December 11, 1939
at Des Moines, IA
Home Of Record
148 Eighth Street
Silvis, IL
Next Of Kin
Parents, Emile & Rose Ruark
Military Specialty
AA machine gunner
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
Corporal John Ruark was stationed at Cavite, Philippine Islands, when the United States entered World War II. His unit was re-designated as the Third Battalion, 4th Marines, and Ruark served with Mike Company in the defense of the Philippines and the siege of Corregidor during the spring of 1942. His battle station was a .50-caliber anti-aircraft gun mounted on Fort Hughes (Caballo Island) in Manila Harbor.
Ruark 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. In October, Ruark came down with malaria and finally reported to the camp hospital. There was little the doctors could do except delay the inevitable: on 19 November 1942, Corporal Ruark succumbed to the disease.
Burial Information or Disposition
Ruark was buried in Grave 717 of the Cabanatuan cemetery, along with several other military prisoners and a civilian contractor named George York.
| Name | Rank | Service Number | Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelder, Arthur H. | Private | 36016623 | 26 | Identified (2015) |
| Waid, Charlie M. | Private | 19049058 | 26 | Identified (2019) |
| Overbey, Evans E. | Private | 13035026 | 25 | Identified (2015) |
| Gutierrez, Juan F. | PFC | 20843125 | 26 | Identified (2021) |
| Hirschi, Harold S. | Private | 19038407 | 29 | Identified (2015) |
| Bain, Daniel C. | PFC | 33035131 | 25 | Identified (1948) |
| Hanscom, Lawrence K. | Sergeant | 6137280 | 35 | Identified (1948) |
| Collins, Frederick C. | Corporal | 6578818 | 23 | Identified (2015) |
| Kovach, John | Private | 20500764 | 19 | Identified (2017) |
| Simmons, George G. | Corporal | 190198886 | 25 | Identified (2015) |
| Nichols, Harvey A. | PFC | 7009171 | 27 | Identified (2015) |
| Lobdell, Lloyd J. | PFC | 20645267 | 24 | Identified (2017) |
| Ruark, John W. | PFC | 278681 | 21 | Identified (2025) |
| York, George Sr. | Civilian | 63 | Unaccounted | |
| Thomas, Everett S. | Major | O-109097 | 25 | Identified (1948) |
| Rogers, Henry A. | Private | 11013703 | 23 | Identified (1948) |
Grave 717 was exhumed in 1946, and the remains sent to Manila, where four of the men were positively identified. The rest were buried in Fort William McKinley Cemetery, Manila as unknowns.
In 2014, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency approved the disinterment of ten caskets containing remains from Grave 717. To date, only Mr. George York remains unaccounted for. The DPAA announced the identification of PFC Ruark on 25 March 2025.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Emile & Rose Ruark.
Location Of Loss
Corporal Ruark died at Cabanatuan Camp #1.
FROM THE DPAAMIL MISSING IN ACTION WEBSITE
https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/ID-Announcements/Article/4138645/marine-accounted-for-from-wwii-ruark-j/
Press Release | March 28, 2025
Marine Accounted For From WWII (Ruark, J.)
WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John W. Ruark, 21, who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II, was accounted for March 25, 2025.
In late 1941, Ruark was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, when Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands in December. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942.
Thousands of U.S. and Filipino service members were captured and interned at POW camps. Ruark was among those reported captured when U.S. forces in Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. They were subjected to the 65-mile Bataan Death March and then held at the Cabanatuan POW camp. More than 2,500 POWs perished in this camp during the war.
According to prison camp and other historical records, Ruark died on Nov. 19, 1942, and was buried along with other deceased prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery in Common Grave 717.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Ruark’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at http://www.dpaa.mil or on social media at http://www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa, https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.