Pearl Harbor Day Third Annual Veterans Forum: 75th Anniversary of the March of Bataan “The Codebreaker and the POW: A family legacy of WWII”
Highland Park Historical Society will cohost with Highland Park American Legion Post 145 “The Codebreaker and the POW” with L. Sue Baugh for Pearl Harbor Day: Third Annual Veterans Roundtable on Thursday December 7th at 3:00 PM at the Highland Park Library.
The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 forever changed the lives of millions of Americans and Filipinos. In February 1942, Ms. Baugh’s father became a Navy codebreaker and helped the U.S. win the Battle of Midway. In May 1942, her grandfather, Richmond Baugh, was taken prisoner on Corregidor Island and spent nearly 3 years as a Japanese POW north of Manila. Through her family’s legacy, Ms. Baugh describes the strategy, suffering, and brutal combat it took to liberate the Philippines and defeat the Japanese Empire in the Pacific.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the March of Bataan, which Highland Park resident Neil Iovino was a POW who marched the 65-mile trek. There will be personal recollections shared by Iovino’s daughter Richetta.
Afterwards American Legion Post 145 Commander Larry Sassorossi will moderate veterans and audience members reactions and recollections to this event. Participants are encouraged to bring memorabilia to show.
- Sue Baughis an award-winning writer and speaker on topics related to history, science, and traditional cultures. She has documented her journeys to the world’s oldest rock and mineral sites in the book, Echoes of Earth (2012). Ms. Baugh’s presentation “The Codebreaker and the POW” tells the newly uncovered story of her family’s legacy in World War II.
‘Pearl Harbor Day: Third Annual Veterans Roundtable,’ will be presented at the Highland Park Public Library Auditorium, 494 Laurel Avenue, Highland Park. For further information, please contact the Highland Park Historical Society: 847.432.7090 or archives@highlandparkhistory.org. Admission is free.
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