Russell W. "Red" Hendrickson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Marines
Russell W. Hendrickson (Red) entered the Marine Corps on December 13, 1940, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He served as a Sergeant and machine gunner with the First Defense Battalion in Wake Island. Went to basic training in San Diego - was good at rapid fire with the Browning 30 caliber machine gun.
After basic training, went to Pearl Harbor and on to Wake Island. Was there almost a year before the Japanese surprise attack on the island. Was sleeping in a tent when the Japanese blew up two parked planes at the airfield. Got to machine gun and started firing at Japanese Zeroes. Fired mostly at the planes because they were causing the most damage. The Marines had sunk a barge full of dynamite in a channel near the island. Was worried that if this barge was hit, would be blown up with it, as it was very near. It was never detonated.
Was able to fight them back till they retreated. Japanese returned several days later with a much larger force. Fought them for sixteen days will ammunition ran out. The island was surrendered to the Japanese. Wasn't aware of this surrender so continued fighting. Finally, another machine gunner said to destroy his weapon and surrender. Was taken prisoner with civilian contractors and other Marines aboard the Japanese ship Nada Menu.
Taken to Japan. Civilians stayed in Japan to work and the Marines were taken to Wasting, China. Was a prisoner of war for three years. Was forced to fix small engines such as for motorcycles but occasionally sabotaged the engines. Worked on building roads. The young Japanese guards seemed afraid of the Marines because of stories they had heard about them.
Had operation in captivity for appendicitis. Navy doctor did the operation with a scalpel smuggled by the Chinese and was stitched up with silk string. Main food was rice with small rocks in it. Lost a lot of weight! Because of heavy bombing, had to be moved by train through Korea and then by ship to the northern main island of Japan. Was there for a year until the Japanese surrendered after the atomic bombs were dropped.
Once free was brought to Guam to recover from parasites and regain weight. Went back to hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. The city of Duluth has a parade to welcome him home. All the Marines on Wake Island received a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mr. Hendrickson was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, December 23, 1941 - September 7, 1945, Good Conduct Medal, and Marine Corps Expedition Medal with Silver W.
Mr. Hendrickson was honorably discharged on February 12, 1946, at Great Lakes, Illinois.
Please see the additional VMH Website entry about Russell W. Hendrickson, given by his grandson.(below)
Source: Hometown Heroes: The Saint Louis County World War II Project, page 357.
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The War Stories of PFC R.W. Hendrickson Written by Steven Hendrickson - 2012 Mike Colalillo Medal of Honor Scholarship Recipient
December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Empire shocked the nation with a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. For most Americans, this attack came out of nowhere and, in the chaos, the full scope of the attack did not reach the mainland for days.
Unfortunately, Americans were unaware that Pearl Harbor was just one strike in a Japanese grand strategy to gain dominance over the Pacific. Japan initiated their plans by not only attacking Pearl Harbor, but also the smaller outposts in the Pacific including Wake Island.
From December 7th till the 22nd, it was up to a small detachment of 449 USMC personnel (and a larger number of civilian contractors) to defend the Island against an overwhelmingly superior Japanese force. One of these Marines was my grandfather PFC Russell W. Hendrickson from Duluth, Minnesota.
He was born in Duluth in 1921 and played basketball for Denfeld High School until the 10th grade when he left school to work as a telegraph firm messenger boy. At the age of 19, he left Duluth to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1940 as a way to see the world. After a few months at basic training in San Diego, he was sent to Wake Island as a machine gunner in the 1st Defense Battalion.
Everyone expected Wake, like Guam and other outposts to go down without much of a fight. Roosevelt himself stated over the radio “The reports from Guam and Wake and Midway are still confused, but we must be prepared for the announcement that all these three outposts have been seized.”
Wake did not fall right away however. For two straight weeks, the marines endured almost constant aerial bombardment and actually repelled the first Japanese landing. News of this first US victory spread across the country almost immediately. Coverage of the island’s defense appeared in newspapers for weeks with patriotic slogans such as “Remember Wake Island” and “Send us more Japs.”
Unfortunately, Wake did eventually fall and for the remainder of the war, my grandfather and his fellow marines spent 3 ½ harsh years in prisoner of war camps in China, Korea and Japan. Throughout those years, he and his fellow Marines native to Minnesota in the POW camps were not forgotten. Their stories, letters and whereabouts were repeatedly reported in the Duluth News Tribune and in radio broadcasts.
When the war ended and the marines returned home, he was not forgotten and treated to a hero’s welcome in Duluth. Barely a year prior to the Japanese attacks, besides serving as a small Pan-American stop over point on the way to the orient, Wake Atoll was a small collection of 3 islands and almost completely uninhabited. However, with the fumes of war building, the US Navy initiated plans to fortify the tiny 3 mile long atoll and turn it into a base to launch air offensives.
To Japan, all these factors made the US attempt to fortify the centuries vacant island a threat to be reckoned with. The Marines and about twelve hundred civilian workers on the island worked on building up the islands defenses and facilities. Despite Devereux’s rapid buildup, the island was still short of vital equipment. Although most of the men on the island were equipped with obsolete WWI era weapons and gear, PFC Hendrickson was fortunate enough to have a new water cooled Browning .30 caliber machine gun. In Russell’s last letter from Wake, he tried to quell some of his mother’s concerns about the deteriorating situation in the Pacific.
Coincidentally, the letter was received the day the attack began on Wake. On the morning of December 8th, 1941, (7th Hawaii time) Devereux received an urgent message from Hawaii, the Japanese had attacked. Devereux sounded a “Call to Arms” and mobilized the Marines immediately. PFC Hendrickson took up his position at the end of the airfield on the island, a position known as Peacock Point.
Despite the determination of the Marines, the position’s they took up were less than prepared with little or no camouflage and no time to dig foxholes or trenches. Soon to the surprise of the Marines, twenty-seven Mitsubishi “Nells” bombers began bombing the airfield and quickly destroyed seven of the island’s twelve Grumman fighters on the ground. Positioned close to the airfield, Hendrickson focused his fire on the enemy aircraft throughout the raids as they were causing the most damage.
This raid was to be repeated four more times, which culminated on December 11th (Wake time) with the first Japanese landing attempt. The leader of the Japanese force believed he had nothing to fear from the Marine defenders after the repeated air raids, and thus brought his ships in close to further pummel the atoll. The Marines at the 5-inch gun batteries, eager to open fire, waited for Maj. Devereux’s order until the ships were within just 4,500 yards of Peacock Point. In the end, the Marines succeeded in sinking two destroyers (the first of the war) and damaging others, while the Marines only suffered five wounded.
For the next ten days, the island was continuously bombed by Japanese aircraft. On the early morning of the 23rd of December (Wake time) the Japanese returned to Wake, this time with the addition of two aircraft carriers, 2 battleships and 2,500 infantrymen. Despite twelve hours of heavy bombardment, the Japanese incurred heavy losses. PFC Hendrickson recalled at one point seeing a Japanese fighter plane on fire and rather than ditching in the ocean, attempted to land on a nearby carrier, where it subsequently exploded on impact.
Despite the apparent upper hand in the island defense, the Marines were quickly running out of supplies. Ultimately, the decision was made by the Marine’s commander to surrender the island. Further word of the battle seized to reach the mainland until finally it was declared captured by the Japanese Empire.
For the next 3 years, the only word the families of the Marines on Wake received regarding their loved ones whereabouts was from infrequent letters, radio broadcasts and newspaper reports. It was at this time that the story of Wake Island became the stuff of legend for the United States in the early days of the Second World War. Since the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the American public was left in the dark as to the full scope of the Japanese invasion of the Pacific. In the chaos, it appeared that the Japanese were swiftly capturing every American Pacific outpost, one after another without much resistance, leaving the public with a sense of helplessness and humiliation.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the unexpected word of Wake Island defenders’ successful repulsion of the Japanese invasion force from Wake was well received and later propagandized. Throughout the battle, newspapers printed updates on the island’s status, stating “The Marines at Wake continue to resist.”
The Washington Post called the battle for Wake “one of those gallant stands such as led Texans 105 years ago to cry remember the Alamo!” The front page of the Christmas Day New York Times headline read: “Heroic Defense of Wake Isle an Epic in Marines’ Annals.” One of the more iconic images to emerge from this media frenzy was one cartoon which depicted a battle weary Marine shaking his fist in the air crying “Send us more Japs!”
This cry was reported as having come from the naval commander on Wake Winfield Cunningham, when in fact it was a misinterpretation of a radio dispatch. Nonetheless, the story of the Marines on Wake stuck and Americans promised “never to forget”, as was printed on the posters for Paramount Pictures film Wake Island, America’s first such film of the war.
Thanks to the successful propagandizing of the battle, the Marine Corps saw a significant boost in recruitment from 2,000 after Pearl Harbor, to 18,000 between December 7th and January 7th, 1941 (1,300 in one day alone). The Navy also saw a boost in recruitment. In one mass swearing-in ceremony in Los Angeles, 385 young recruits formed a line in the shape of a large “W” as they were administered their oaths. The photo of the event appeared in newspapers across the country, and not one person had to ask what the “W” stood for.
Despite the fanfare of the Marine’s victory, it could not save them from their ultimate fate as POWs. From Christmas Day 1941, till mid January, 1942, the fate of the Wake Island defenders was uncertain. Many people had the misconception from fictitious ending of the film Wake Island that the entire garrison had been killed in the battle. However, the Navy department was well aware the marines were now prisoners of the Japanese, but did not know what these men would have to endure for the next 3 1/5 years of the war. The order to surrender came as a surprise to most of the Marines, who believed it was their duty to never surrender and die defending the island.
But nevertheless, when Russell received the order, he followed it. He was instructed by another Marine to destroy his machine gun with grenades rendering it completely useless and to head to the airfield. He then joined his comrades at the airfield where they were forced to strip down, have their hands bound and sit in a tight group in the baking sun for several hours with machine guns fixed on them.
After some time had passed, the marines were given a drink of water from poorly washed out gasoline containers. In constant fear of execution, the marines were finally told their fate by a Japanese interpreter. He read a clumsily worded proclamation from the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Navy, and at the end ad-libbed, “The Emperor has gracefully presented you with your lives.” To which one Marine reportedly responded “Well thank the son-of-a-bitch for me.”
After this ordeal, the Marines remained on the Island for another 10 days before they were loaded into the cramped cargo hold of the converted passenger liner the Nitta Maru. On the way to Shanghai, Lieutenant Toshio Sato randomly selected three seamen and two Marines, forced them to kneel on the deck blindfolded and then read to the Americans in Japanese their death sentences as representatives of those who killed Japanese soldiers. The men were then beheaded; their bodies used for bayonet practice and then tossed overboard. Such random acts of brutality persisted throughout the time in the camps although Russell later reported that he “was fortunate to escape the tortures suffered by some of his companions.”
Once they arrived in Shanghai, the POWs were forced to march five miles to the Woosung Prisoner of War camp. Here, the POWs lived in dreary, cramped wooden barracks where they slept on wooden platforms with little more than a straw tick and thin blankets. For the Wake Island defenders at the camp, the time they spent here was especially miserable, as they still had only their tropical weather uniforms to wear in the cold winters.
Although it was eventually reported in the Duluth News Tribune that the Marines had been taken prisoner, Russell’s parents were not entirely aware whether their son was dead or a prisoner. Their questions were finally answered in July, when it was finally reported from a Tokyo radio broadcast that Russell was “Alive and Well”. This news was later printed in the local newspapers. One article described my grandfather as “a likeable, red haired lad who used to peddle newspapers in West Duluth.”
Finally in September of 1942, Russell’s parents received his first letter from the POW camp. The letter was short but claimed that he came out of the battle “without a scratch” and he thought he was “a pretty lucky guy.” The letter gave very few details about the conditions in the camp, apart from reporting that he was “working in a small vegetable garden” and he “had everything he needed.”
Not surprisingly, Japanese censors forced the letters to be focused on the more tolerable parts of camp life, such as the small garden in which the POWs were allowed to grow vegetables to supplement their meager rations. What the letter does not mention is the fact that while working in the garden, Russell was just one accidental trip away from falling into an electrified fence (which in one instance killed one POW) that surrounded the Woosung POW camp.
Besides the infrequent letters, one of the few other sources that Russell’s parents could discern what life in the camp was like for their son was from occasional reprintings of pictures from the Japanese propaganda magazine Freedom. These pictures usually showed the POWs enjoying themselves at the camp’s recreation field or smiling for pictures. However, the reality of these photos was not lost of the photos caption writers, who were quick to point out the presence of armed guards.
Life in the POW camp was hard. The POW’s day would start at 5:30 A.M. with a roll call and inspection. Although none of the Marines spoke Japanese, they quickly learned the phrases “Ki wo tsuki!” (Attention!), “Bango!” (Count off!) and “Ichi!”, “Ni!” “San!”, “Shi!” (1,2,3,4!) and so on. After a meager breakfast of rice, watery tea, soup and very little meat (which they received more or less for all 3 meals, amounting to no more than 500 or 600 calories per day), the POWs were then divided up into work detail groups.
Russell was at one point pressed into work in a garage where he helped repair Japanese trucks and motorcycles. During which time, he usually helped to sabotage vehicles by loosening or over tightening bolts, draining oil and other such things. He was always surprised that some vehicles would return to the garage numerous times with all sorts of different problems and the Japanese never grew wise to what the POWs were doing.
On the rare occasions that the POWs had free time, Russell would usually smoke cigarettes or just go to sleep. On several occasions however, Russell noticed that his red hair had begun to draw unwanted attention from a young Japanese guard. According to Russell, he was told that to the Japanese, red hair was akin to having an appearance of a devil.
At this time, the Japanese popular culture consisted of a volatile mixture of religious fervor, national chauvinism and seething resentment of the west. They believed they were the “pure Yamoto race,” This one guard in particular asked Russell what he had to do in order to become a Marine. Once, he even asked him whether he had to kill his own parents as the Japanese propaganda machine suggested. Surprised by this, Russell told him that he “took them behind the shit house and let them have it.” To this, the young guard responded “you are the most terrible man I’ve ever met” and never spoke to Russell again.
Russell remained at the Woosung camp for nearly a full year until he and the other POWs were moved to another camp also nearby Shanghai at Kiang Wang. It was from this camp that Russell was allowed to send another letter. The letter once again gave few details as to the reality of life in the camp but did mention that he had “received boxes from the American and Canadian Red Cross which were very much appreciated.”
Other Marines who were POWs in this camp would later write that such boxes of food and clothing saved their lives in the camp. Despite the help from the Red Cross, the health of the POW was in constant decline. Nearly every man in the camp was later diagnosed with hosting parasitic organisms; robbing them of the little nutrition they were getting as a result the poor quality of food.
For other men in the camps, usually minor ailments became life threatening. While in one POW camp, Russell was stricken with a ruptured appendix. With sparse medical supplies, a Navy doctor used a razor blade and no anesthesia in two separate operations to remove the appendix, saving Russell’s life.
As the war rolled on, it became easier for the POWs to see that the Japanese were losing the war. More and more frequently, B-29s and P-51s were spotted bombing the surrounding areas of Shanghai. Increasingly fearful of aerial raids, the Japanese moved the POWs from their camp near Shanghai to one on the northern-most island of Japan, Hokkaido.
To get there, the POWs were moved through a series of different camps in China, Korea and finally Japan. Once on Hokkaido, the POWs were split up into a number of smaller camps. Russell was sent to a camp known as Hakodate #3 near the mining town of Utashinai. Here, the POWs were forced to work in coal mines. The POWs spent their last days of the war in this camp. Finally on morning of August 17th, 1945, the Marines were informed that “the state of war no longer existed and the camp was now in their control.”
Unfortunately, despite the Japanese surrender, the Marines were to remain at the Camp until planes could locate their positions and troopers from the 1st cavalry division could reach them in early September. Until then, canned food was air dropped to the Marines and a makeshift American flag was made and hoisted over the Hakodate Camp. Soon, the Marines would be home.
Even as the war began to wind down in late 1944 and ’45, Russell’s family and community had not forgotten about him. At the Salem Covenant Church, Russell was given a “star” on the church’s “service flag” to represent men from Duluth in the war. In a January 25th, 1944, radio broadcast advertisement for Northern National Bank; Russell was awarded “Radio Service Stripes” from WEBC.
Russell’s family too was doing everything they could to bring their son and brother home. Russell’s younger brother Jack even went so far as to enlist in the Marine Corps shortly after his 17th birthday. The occasion was covered in the Duluth News Tribune numerous times and reported his intention was to avenge his brother’s capture.
After his enlistment, another article reported Russell’s youngest brother Dale (who was only weeks old when Russell left for basic training in 1940 and had not seen him since) as saying (while pointing at a map of Japan) “that’s where my brother is going, and he’s going to make the Japs free my bigger brother, Russell.” Jack was sent to basic training on Parris Island, where he was intended to be a part of the massive amphibious invasion of the Japanese mainland.
Estimates for casualties in the invasion were enormous, fortunately though, the Japanese surrendered in August of 1945, with the dropping of the atom bomb, while Jack was still waiting for further orders in Guam. On September 17th, 1945, the men of Hakodate #3 left the confines of the camp for the last time and proceeded to a nearby airfield where American transport planes were waiting for them. After reaching a Japanese seaport, the men were taken by ship to Guam where they were to recover before being sent back to the states.
In Guam, Russell saw his first loved one in nearly 4 years. His brother Jack, still waiting for deployment, had heard Russell was on the island and was looking for him. They met and soon had to say farewell again. A few weeks later, Russell arrived in San Francisco and boarded a train bound for Chicago’s Great Lakes Naval Hospital and then Duluth.
The week prior to his arrival home in October, the Duluth News Tribune printed numerous articles about Russell and his family in anticipation for his arrival. The Marine Corps Vets’ and Dad’s club and city of Duluth planned a civic welcome for Russell once he arrived home on October 15th. Duluth Mayor George W. Johnson, city council members and hundreds of Duluthians waited for Russell as he arrived home at the Omaha railway depot. Following his arrival, a Marine Corps color guard along with the Denfeld marching band led a parade in his honor down Superior Street. In a convertible, the now Corporal Hendrickson and his parents drove with a police escort to their home at 15, Central Avenue in West Duluth.
The following evening, a reception dinner was held for Russell at the Hotel Duluth. At the reception, Russell answered reporters’ questions about his experiences in the POW camp, but after his homecoming, Russell, wishing to put his past behind him, spoke little more about his time in the POW camp until the last years of his life.
It was not until 1999 that Russell’s story reappeared in the local news of Duluth. This time, as part of KBJR’s series “The Greatest Generation.” This was the last time Russell appeared in the local news before his death in 2006, he was 84 years old. Just months after his death, his family received very surprising news from an historian in Ohio. He claimed that he was working for an Australian television network and was looking for the family of R.W. Hendrickson.
As it so happened, a scrapbook that was with Russell on Wake, had found its way to New Guinea in 1943, where it was picked up by an Australian solider. After the war, this soldier passed the book on to his children who spent years searching for Russell. Finally in 2006, it found its way to Duluth and was featured on WDIO’s story “Memories Lost and Found.” Over 60 years later, Russell’s story was not forgotten.
