Staff Sergeant Neil O Rider
Neil Orlando Rider was born on October 10th, 1920 in Etna, Indiana to Elma Stump and Albert Rider. Neil graduated North Webster High School in 1938, playing Varsity Baseball, Basketball, Soft Ball, and was involved in their theater program. Simultaneously, he worked on the family farm with his parents, but decided a military life would suit him better. On November 17th, 1938, Neil enlisted in the Marine Corps and completed boot camp in San Diego before joining the Signal Detachment to train as a radioman. During 1940, Neil was promoted to Private First Class on September 24th and the following year, mobilized for his first overseas deployment.
China
On January 13th, 1941, PFC Rider boarded the USS Chaumont and sailed two days later for China, arriving at Chinwangtao on February 16th and joining the Headquarters Detachment, American Embassy located in Peiping, China as their new radioman. His assignment here could not have been at a worse time. Tensions between the Japanese and Americans were at an all time high due to the war in China and WW2 raging in Europe, so the Marines were surrounded by potentially hostile soldiers. Nevertheless, they continued their duties at the embassy until PFC Rider transferred to the HQ Detachment at Tientsin on July 4th. By this time, the Marines in China had begun withdrawing but Rider’s group in Tientsin were not scheduled to leave until December 10th. Unfortunately, it was too late. On December 7th, 1941, Japan launched their surprise attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and Guam. PFC Rider and the Marine Detachment at Tientsin awoke to find their entire compound surrounded by Japanese soldiers, and without any means to escape, surrendered. Their command hoped that they would be repatriated to the US due to their status as embassy guards.
Prisoner of War in Shanghai
On January 10th, 1942, the Peking Marines were shipped by train to Nanking to rejoin the rest of the captured North China Marines, and then on the 31st, all 204 POWs crossed the Yangtze River to continue on for Shanghai. PFC Rider arrived at Woosung Camp in February, which was a decrepit old Chinese Army barracks. Greeting them were prisoners from the USS Wake, HMS Pertrel and the soldiers captured at Wake Island. Almost immediately, PFC Rider and the POWs were put to work as forced laborers with less than adequate food, medical attention, and common beatings at the mercy of their guards. In the beginning, the morale was optimistic since they expected an exchange to take place, but that hope was soon extinguished. In December, the remaining Marines moved to nearby Kiangwan in December of 1942 where conditions only slightly increased. PFC Rider and the enlisted men worked on a rifle range which consisted of heavy labor which resulted in many cases of malnutrition and tuberculosis, but the death rate was relatively low.
Japan
On August 24th, 1943, PFC Rider and 500 other prisoners boarded ships and sailed for Japan, where they entered Osaka 13-B near Tsumori. Rations consisted of a bowl of rice in the morning with watery soup, rice for lunch, and the same for dinner. A single tank of water was provided for all prisoners to bathe in one every few weeks. Beatings were again very common, especially due to infractions deemed by Japanese guards, Nevertheless, while working at the Fujinagata Dockyard, the prisoners found opportunities to sabotage the Japanese war effort with great risk to themselves. While very minimal letters were received by the prisoners here, Neil managed to let his family know he was alive with a message broadcasted from Japan: “Don’t worry about me; I am safe and well. Write as often as you can and tell all the folks the same. Love to all. Neil Rider.”
Rider was relatively fortunate that he was “not beat up much” but had been hit on the head a few times by the guards while doing hard labor. As the year went on, it was noticeable that Japan was losing the war since allied bombing raids became common after October of 1944, eventually necesitating their move to a new camp. In March of 1945, a firebombing raid was launched in the Tokyo area, which ended up hitting their area. “Richard Rider was killed in the incendiary raid…He was hit by a bomb and killed instantly. The bombing raid halted all work in the shipyard” recalled Neil.
“About a month later (19 May) Frank Novak and I were sent to the Rokuroshi camp up in the mountains near Fukui with a small group to renovate and clean up an old vacant Japanese training camp. We were up in the mountains and out of harm's way. About a month later (25 Jun) a large group of Allied prisoners, mostly officers, came to fill up the camp. We could hear the air raid sirens down in the valley below us. In August B-29s bombed Fukui and we had a ringside seat. The planes would finish their bombing runs and come right over our camp. Although it was midnight we were all outside cheering."
Rider’s new camp at Rokuroshi was situated in the mountains with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. Conditions and food, as described by Neil, were better than Tsumori, and morale was very high due to the allied air raids. The prisoners could sense that the war was coming to an end, but they just had to survive long enough to rejoice, and the camp guards, sensing defeat, were much more lenient with the prisoners. One Japanese foreman was sympathetic to the Americans and handed out cigarettes in the morning at great risk to himself.
Liberation
Finally, on September 8th, 1945, Neil and the POWs at Rokurushi were liberated by the 8th Army, six days after the Japanese surrender. They were transported by rail to Yokohama, where Neil joined the 6th Marine Division for the journey home on September 16th by air. Immediately after his arrival in the US, Rider was admitted to the US Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, Illinois for treatment, weighing just 120 pounds, and with the rank of Sergeant accumulated during his capture. Over the next seven months, he was treated for a plethora of horrific diseases and infections that were eventually controlled, but he was ultimately deemed unfit for service, and discharged on April 22nd, 1946 with a promotion to Staff Sergeant. Neil returned to Etna, Indiana after nearly four years of beyond inhumane treatment and was reunited with his parents and siblings. Sadly, his experiences occasionally plagued him in his civilian life, with dreams of revenge and sadness when exposed to stories of other people undergoing hardships, and 30% disability due to amebiasis. Undeterred, Neil attended Indiana University and graduated with a BS in Accounting, gaining a job at General Motors for 31 years as an accountant and later as their information systems manager. He married Bernice Dabrowski in 1948 and had two sons, moving to Illinois and later to Lynchburg, Virginia. As time passed, his dreams got better and he took up hiking, outdoor activities, reconnected with friends from WW2, and contributed to the North China Marine website. He sadly passed away on February 4th, 2009.
*Information on POW camps and some quotes are from the North China Marine website
China
On January 13th, 1941, PFC Rider boarded the USS Chaumont and sailed two days later for China, arriving at Chinwangtao on February 16th and joining the Headquarters Detachment, American Embassy located in Peiping, China as their new radioman. His assignment here could not have been at a worse time. Tensions between the Japanese and Americans were at an all time high due to the war in China and WW2 raging in Europe, so the Marines were surrounded by potentially hostile soldiers. Nevertheless, they continued their duties at the embassy until PFC Rider transferred to the HQ Detachment at Tientsin on July 4th. By this time, the Marines in China had begun withdrawing but Rider’s group in Tientsin were not scheduled to leave until December 10th. Unfortunately, it was too late. On December 7th, 1941, Japan launched their surprise attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and Guam. PFC Rider and the Marine Detachment at Tientsin awoke to find their entire compound surrounded by Japanese soldiers, and without any means to escape, surrendered. Their command hoped that they would be repatriated to the US due to their status as embassy guards.
Prisoner of War in Shanghai
On January 10th, 1942, the Peking Marines were shipped by train to Nanking to rejoin the rest of the captured North China Marines, and then on the 31st, all 204 POWs crossed the Yangtze River to continue on for Shanghai. PFC Rider arrived at Woosung Camp in February, which was a decrepit old Chinese Army barracks. Greeting them were prisoners from the USS Wake, HMS Pertrel and the soldiers captured at Wake Island. Almost immediately, PFC Rider and the POWs were put to work as forced laborers with less than adequate food, medical attention, and common beatings at the mercy of their guards. In the beginning, the morale was optimistic since they expected an exchange to take place, but that hope was soon extinguished. In December, the remaining Marines moved to nearby Kiangwan in December of 1942 where conditions only slightly increased. PFC Rider and the enlisted men worked on a rifle range which consisted of heavy labor which resulted in many cases of malnutrition and tuberculosis, but the death rate was relatively low.
Japan
On August 24th, 1943, PFC Rider and 500 other prisoners boarded ships and sailed for Japan, where they entered Osaka 13-B near Tsumori. Rations consisted of a bowl of rice in the morning with watery soup, rice for lunch, and the same for dinner. A single tank of water was provided for all prisoners to bathe in one every few weeks. Beatings were again very common, especially due to infractions deemed by Japanese guards, Nevertheless, while working at the Fujinagata Dockyard, the prisoners found opportunities to sabotage the Japanese war effort with great risk to themselves. While very minimal letters were received by the prisoners here, Neil managed to let his family know he was alive with a message broadcasted from Japan: “Don’t worry about me; I am safe and well. Write as often as you can and tell all the folks the same. Love to all. Neil Rider.”
Rider was relatively fortunate that he was “not beat up much” but had been hit on the head a few times by the guards while doing hard labor. As the year went on, it was noticeable that Japan was losing the war since allied bombing raids became common after October of 1944, eventually necesitating their move to a new camp. In March of 1945, a firebombing raid was launched in the Tokyo area, which ended up hitting their area. “Richard Rider was killed in the incendiary raid…He was hit by a bomb and killed instantly. The bombing raid halted all work in the shipyard” recalled Neil.
“About a month later (19 May) Frank Novak and I were sent to the Rokuroshi camp up in the mountains near Fukui with a small group to renovate and clean up an old vacant Japanese training camp. We were up in the mountains and out of harm's way. About a month later (25 Jun) a large group of Allied prisoners, mostly officers, came to fill up the camp. We could hear the air raid sirens down in the valley below us. In August B-29s bombed Fukui and we had a ringside seat. The planes would finish their bombing runs and come right over our camp. Although it was midnight we were all outside cheering."
Rider’s new camp at Rokuroshi was situated in the mountains with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. Conditions and food, as described by Neil, were better than Tsumori, and morale was very high due to the allied air raids. The prisoners could sense that the war was coming to an end, but they just had to survive long enough to rejoice, and the camp guards, sensing defeat, were much more lenient with the prisoners. One Japanese foreman was sympathetic to the Americans and handed out cigarettes in the morning at great risk to himself.
Liberation
Finally, on September 8th, 1945, Neil and the POWs at Rokurushi were liberated by the 8th Army, six days after the Japanese surrender. They were transported by rail to Yokohama, where Neil joined the 6th Marine Division for the journey home on September 16th by air. Immediately after his arrival in the US, Rider was admitted to the US Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, Illinois for treatment, weighing just 120 pounds, and with the rank of Sergeant accumulated during his capture. Over the next seven months, he was treated for a plethora of horrific diseases and infections that were eventually controlled, but he was ultimately deemed unfit for service, and discharged on April 22nd, 1946 with a promotion to Staff Sergeant. Neil returned to Etna, Indiana after nearly four years of beyond inhumane treatment and was reunited with his parents and siblings. Sadly, his experiences occasionally plagued him in his civilian life, with dreams of revenge and sadness when exposed to stories of other people undergoing hardships, and 30% disability due to amebiasis. Undeterred, Neil attended Indiana University and graduated with a BS in Accounting, gaining a job at General Motors for 31 years as an accountant and later as their information systems manager. He married Bernice Dabrowski in 1948 and had two sons, moving to Illinois and later to Lynchburg, Virginia. As time passed, his dreams got better and he took up hiking, outdoor activities, reconnected with friends from WW2, and contributed to the North China Marine website. He sadly passed away on February 4th, 2009.
*Information on POW camps and some quotes are from the North China Marine website