Johlerpow and Zale et al.

Joseph “Joe” and Risa Fragale became acquainted with Jacob Johler in September 1941.

According to a handwritten note by Marie Stoiber who later became Jacob Johler’s wife;

“When ready to go overseas the tenant in the same house where Jacob was living asked him to look up his brother, Joe Fragale, who was stationed at Nichols Field, a fighter base in the Philippines.”

The following handwritten document by Joseph Fragale fills in the gaps regarding Jacob Johler’s activity after his correspondence to friends and family abruptly ended in November of 1941:

The first time I met Jake was in Sept 1941. I was married in Aug 1941 and Jake saw my name and picture in the Manila Times Herold [Sic]

He wrote me a letter and said he knew my brother Victor and that his parents family and my brothers family lived in the same building.

About  two weeks later Jake came to Manila and had dinner at my home and he brought me up to date about my brother and his family.

I guess that next to his immediate family I knew Jake better than anyone else. We spent many hours talking about our experiences-not only about our wartime service but our lives as wage earners and as heads of family.

To the person that was a POW, especially of the Japanese, no 2 days are the same we suffer from many moods and each day might be different from the last. It’s a constant battle to stay in step with the rest of society on a daily basis.

We got our strength from family and a few close friends that we felt understood us.

When Jake had open heart surgery, me and my wife spent many hours with him in the VA hospital and in his home. After his heart surgery, I was amazed at his attitude. Since his open heart surgery Jake suffered from other tragedies but was always upbeat.

Jake suffered from physical disabilities but mostly from the loss of his daughter Marie and later his wife Marie (Jacob’s wife Marie actually passed away first in 1978 at the age of 55 and his daughter Marie passed away in 1980 at the age of 31).

Jake always bragged about his parents, (whom I knew well). His father was a man of many qualifications and Jake seemed to take after him.

What many people don’t know is that Jake spent most of his time in Bataan before he was sent back to Corregidor just before Bataan surrendered. He was with an ANTI AIRCRAFT SEARCHLIGHT battery from Corregidor.

Just two things that sum-up Jakes character 1- His silver star- No surprise award. 2^nd when we were in bataan Jake knew that the men in BATAAN that were not from Corregidor, were not doing too well with food and clothing. I heard a voice behind me saying “boy are you hard to find” I said sorry but in the jungle were not allowed to put our addresses on trees. As I turned around there was Jake. This was the first time I knew he was on Bataan.

He said to me “I brought you something I think you need”. At the road he pointed to a station wagon filled with food, Blankets and clothing and said “here this is yours” I must get back to my outfit before I get in trouble for being missing. Remember this was done while us on Bataan were bombed all day and shelled by artillery at night.

Jake and my wife Risa were very close and he talked freely with both of us about anything that was of importance to him.

I was best man at Jakes wedding.

The following information regarding Joseph and Risa Fragale was paraphrased from two articles which appeared in he Buffalo Evening News on August 28, 1994 and August 10, 2003. Information was also obtained through personal and phone interviews with Risa Fragale by Dorothy Johler from 2008 through 2012:

Joseph Fragale was in the Air Force and was stationed at Nichols Field in the Philippines Islands.  He fell in love with and married Risa Fragale on August 31st,1941. Risa, through telephone conversations and a personal interview shared with me that her parents had a restaurant in Manila and they lived above it. “Joe” would ride his bicycle around Manila and one day when he came in the restaurant he noticed Risa. He proceeded to come into the restaurant everyday for about a month trying to get Risa interested in him.

Risa shared that she was originally from Vienna, Austria. Her father sensing trouble because they were Jewish fled the country in 1936 . First they fled to Japan and were expelled after a year.  After that , they fled to Shanghai and finally settled in the Philippine Islands.

The Buffalo News article indicates that Nichols Field was destroyed the day after Pearl Harbor.
Joseph, concerned for Risa’s safety relocated her from the base housing back to her parents home.
This saved Risa’s life as the housing where they resided on base was destroyed in the bombings.

During the occupation, Risa and her parents, who had Austrian passports were placed under “house arrest” and experienced various degrees of harassment. The Filipinos assisted them through this time both to conceal their identities and also the fact that Risa was married to an American.

Before their separation due to the Japanese occupation, Risa shared that the last thing she remembered telling Joe that she thought she was pregnant.

Joseph Fragale was moved to the Bataan Peninsula and was surrendered on April 9, 1942. He was to remain a prisoner of war for 42 months. He endured the Infamous Bataan Death March and spent time in the Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp in the Philippines and prison camp number 7 in Kyushu, Japan. He was forced to work in the Shinku and Hanko coal mines. He endured severe beatings, starvation and disease. Joseph shared with Risa that he was so ill in Cabanatuan that he wanted to give up. A Filipino was able to get news to him that he had a son and this helped him to persevere. In the Buffalo Evening News article dated August 28, 1994, Joseph stated that “To survive, what we put at the head of the list is luck. I think you have to have religion, and you have to believe in yourself and your country”.

In February of 1945, American forces entered Manila and Risa became friends with the commanding officers of the “tent city” that was set up as a command center. Later, she was working there as a secretary.  Risa was so well liked that she was given two spots on a vessel that was departing for the United States.

Risa arrived in California with her son on May 2, 1945. There were Red Cross workers present upon their arrival and they were given two hundred dollars and a train ticket to Buffalo, New York.

In October, her husband Joseph arrived home in Buffalo , New York and saw his son for the first time.

Joseph Fragale was liberated from prison camp in Japan after the bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

________________________________________

Entered June 12, 2014

Joe and Risa Fragale had two children, Marie and Frank “Frankie”.  Marie had a son named Kris Krause.

Kris Krause Esq. acquired the same work ethic that I noted in Joe Fragale, John Zale and my own father, Jake Johler. He worked his way through school and paid his own tuition and became a lawyer.

Joe Fragale was a painter and I saw him often at our home working on projects. In my childhood, I do not remember meeting John Zale but I did have that blessing in 2011 when I met Risa Fragale.  One year later, John passed away.

When I wrote a condolence on the online obituary site, I received an e-mail from Kris Krause (grandson of Joe and Risa). He had been to the Philippines and wanted to send me some images of their trip.

One year later, Karen Zale, the daughter of John Zale contacted me and we have become very good friends.

Below are some images that Kris Krause Esq. took when he and his wife visited the Philippines a few years ago. Keep watching the site for updates as this page is under construction.