United States Army T/Sgt. Jacob J. Johler
This is a photograph of my late father Jacob who was a very faithful man. I believe it was his faith and his perseverance that enabled him to survive thirty-nine months as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Serving in the Pacific Theater, Jacob was sent to Fort Mills, Corregidor, a small island in the Philippines in early 1941.
On December 2, 1941, Jacob was sent to Bataan as part of a searchlight Battery.
Jacob was born in Buffalo, New York on July 25, 1921.
Military service began with an enlistment in the Navy but soon after he requested an honorable discharge. Jacob then enlisted in the United States Army. He felt he would be able to better obtain the training and education that he desired.
Jacob Johler began in 59th Coast Artillery.
He later transferred to 60th Coast Artillery.
Jacob served on Bataan as part of searchlight Battery beginning December 2, 1941. The battery was led by Colonel William Massello.
Jacob traveled back and forth between Bataan and Corregidor and fought in many battles on the Bataan Peninsula.
Jacob Johler was ordered back to Corregidor on the day the Bataan peninsula was surrendered the Japanese on April 9, 1942.
On May 6, 1942, Jacob was on Battery Way when Corregidor was surrendered to the Japanese. It was for his actions there that he earned a Silver Star.
Interned at Bilibud Prison Camp and Cabanatuan POW Camp #3.
Transferred to Camp Hoten Prisoner of War Camp in Mukden Manchuria via the “Hellship” Tottori Maru.
Arrived at the camp on November 11, 1942, Armistice Day, after an approximate thirty day voyage.
Interned at Camp Hoten in Mukden and was liberated by Soviet troops in August of 1945 after thirty-nine months in captivity.
By the grace of God United States Army Army T/Sgt. Jacob J. Johler, POW # 564 returned to the United States and recovered at the Rhoad’s Army hospital in Utica, New York.
Jacob married Marie E. Stoiber from Buffalo, New York on September 2, 1946, the one year anniversary of V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day).
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When Marie Stoiber-Johler lived in Albany New York for a five year period , she wrote a letter to Jacob’s parents, Rose and Jacob Johler Sr.
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- My mother is Marie Stoiber.
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- Marie wrote this correspondence to Jacob and Rose Johler; the parents of T/Sgt. Jacob Johler.
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- Marie speaks of the letters that were written on Corregidor by her husband Jake.
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- Marie had a desire to organize and share the letters.
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- Considering how often I have relocated, it really is a miracle that the letters have survived.
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- I am hoping that Marie’s dream can be accomplished; I am only the instrument to its fulfillment.
My name is Dorothy Johler. I am the youngest child of the late United States Army T/Sgt. Jacob J. Johler who served our country in the Pacific in the Second World War. My mother was the late Marie Stoiber-Johler. I have been working for fourteen years compiling their letters and images so that this important part of history will be preserved. Since I am getting older now, one never knows what the future holds. I had aspirations of having this material available in an e-book and paperback by the end of 2013 but as everyone knows; life happens. Today, I am re-posting a letter that my late mother, Marie Stoiber-Johler wrote to my father’s parents, Jacob and Rose Johler. They resided in Buffalo, New York. The correspondence was written in the sixties when Jacob Johler and his family resided in Loudonville, New York ( A suburb of Albany, NY). The individual by the name of Fred is Jacob’s younger brother and Ruth is his younger sister. Both Jacob and Marie Johler were born and raised in Buffalo, New York. They relocated to Loudonville, New York for approximately five years. The correspondence by Marie Stoiber-Johler brought tears to my eyes as I found it several years after I began this massive project. God willing, I will see this project through. Marie Stoiber wanted to be a writer. Perhaps she will.
Trying to organize all this material has been and continues to be a lifelong quest. Writing, scanning, typing, compiling, cropping, framing and having moved so many times is very time-consuming. Nevertheless, I have decided to give this my best effort since the way of today is through online media.
Young people need to connect with this information in ways that are comfortable for them.
There seems to be so much to say and so little time. I am growing older and wonder if I will ever finish this project.
These men want to come alive and tell you their story…especially the ones that never came home.
They want their words to jump off the page into your heart so someday you may say:
“I know that John and Joe and Jacob lived.” I will remember Carl and Pete and William;”..the list is almost infinite if one adds up all the conflicts in the world from the beginning of time. Human beings created by God, some whose lives were cut short. They had a dream and a vision for the future. Some perhaps may have come from your own hometown.
On May 12 2010 as I was transcribing my father’s POW diary (Jacob J. Johler), something amazing happened. As I fingered through the pages, the room in which I was working became very quiet. As I gazed out the window, a beautiful bird landed on top of a very tall concrete pillar. I glanced down to the diary and saw a name. Sadly, beside this name and beside the names of numerous others, Jacob wrote the date and cause of death.
Lt. W. J. TOOLEY DIED SUFF.
25 E. JACKSON BLVD. DETAIL
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS NOV ’44 to JAPAN
Suddenly, the beautiful little bird outside my window began to sing. As I peered out the window to get a closer look, the bird raised its head and lifted its tiny body in the air as if it were leaping for joy.
As the melody became louder, the room darkened. All I could see was the name of this soldier who had perished in a faraway land.
The little bird kept singing and dancing and flapping its wings as if it were performing for all of creation to see.
Several times the bird lifted its body in the air as if it were experiencing freedom for the very first time.
In the next moment I felt as if the throne room of heaven had opened. I thought I heard a tiny whisper in my head saying “thank you for remembering me.”
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Johlerpow and Zale et al. 
Comments on: "United States Army T/Sgt. Jacob J. Johler, POW #564, Mukden, Manchuria" (6)
Dorothy ~ Felt privileged to walk with our Karen Zale and others in the recent Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico. That’s where I met Karen, had the opportunity to meet the remaining survivors whose sacrifice I appreciate ~ as I do your dad’s and Karen’s. They survived years of unbelievable brutality with sanity intact and the heart to raise families and build up their local communities. Amazing!
I am the grandson of Sgt. John Zale. This is a wonderful resource to behold, and I would like to thank you for helping to continue the legacy of my grandfather whose name I share. Their stories are all but lost on us, we who live in this time of relative peace and calm.
I found a very interesting resource on the Tottori Maru. seems to be an account of a POW, most likely on the same journey as John Zale as the details match up.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/soc.history.war.world-war-ii/kPaVjAGL2yU
Hopefully the link stays live.
Uncle Jake, you might be gone, But no forgotten!
Sorry, I got cut off. This is a great resource. My grandfather “Zero” Wilson was liberated at Mukden; he arrived there via Cabanatuan and the Oroyku Maru. I’m currently working on a play about the theatre and orchestra my G-dad helped with in Cabanatuan. But all of these resources are important – thank you.
Proud to know our Uncle Jake. Never knew the whole story. So interesting, so horrifyingly sad, so amazing to be a survivor.
Thank you very much. I had a stroke so I have trouble writing. Right now I’m having my manuscript about my father edited now.