Information Requested by the Manila American Cemetery 07/08/2011

Cmdr Maurice Joses, SA#026210, was from Amador County, located in the Sierra Nevada Foothils, northeast of Sacramento, California.  He graduated from the University of California, Medical School, in San Francisco, in 1916.  He is listed as a US Navy Surgeon in the 1919 Association of Military Surgeons.  He served on board the USS Dobbins, USS John D. Edwards.  In 1931, he was with the Naval Torp Station, Pacific Coast and in 1935 with the 12th Naval District in San Francisco.

Cmdr. Joses was mentioned in the US Naval Medical Bulletin

PREVENTION OF VENEREAL DISEASE BY

INGESTION OF SULFATHIAZOLE TABLETS

At a meeting of the New, York Branch of the American

Pharmaceutical Association, Dr. Herman Goodman,

Chairman of the Scientific Session of the February 9,

1942 meeting of the College of Pharmacy, Columbia

University, New York City, said, "Sulfonamide has been

given to those exposed to gonorrhea, for example. (Sulfathiazole

prophylaxis of gonorrhea and cancroid by

Commander Maurice Joses, Medical Corps, U.S.A.)

Discouraged by the large number of cases of venereal

disease developing in the crew of USS HOUSTON

on Asiatic station in spite of usual vigorous campaign of

instruction in the well known methods of prophylaxis,

it was decided to try a new method of attack. ..

Men who had used no prophylaxis whatever after

exposure to venereal disease were given 3 grams

of sulfathiazole at 0800, another 3 grams at 1200 and

1 gram at 1800 (8, 12 and 6 o'clock).

This form of prophylaxis was administered to 350

men who had used no other form of prophylaxis whatever

after exposure and there has not been a single case

of gonorrhea or cancroid developing in this series of

350 cases.

The dose has been reduced to 3 grams at 0800, 2 grams

at 1200 and 1 gram at 1800, plan to reduce this dose.

The medical officer of the USS MARBLEHEAD has also

used' this form of prophylaxis to 450 men who had

been exposed to venereal disease in this same highly

infected area ( Manila ). In this series of cases, a few of

the men had also used some other form of prophylaxis,

however. In his group there have been no cases of

cancroid and only one case of gonorrhea and this case

proved to be refractory to treatment with any of the

sulfonamide derivatives.

From: U. S. Naval Medical Bulletin, Vol. LX,

While serving with the Asiatic Fleet in China, Cmdr. Maurice Joses was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment, where he became the Chief Surgeon for the Regiment.  He went with the Marines to the Philippines after the dissolution of the Asiatic Fleet.  With the Marines, he first went to Subic Bay and then to Corregidor in late December, 1941.  He served in the Defence of Corregidor, from Jan 2, 1942 to May 7, 1942.

After the surrender of Corregidor, Comdr. Joses was sent to Bilibid.  He became the Executive Officer of the prison.  Since there was a small hospital inside of Bilibid, the prison became the hospital for the POWs in Luzon.  The doctors ran the prison and had a good working relationships with the prison guards.  The doctors in charge were occasionally allowed to leave the prison to buy some basic medical supplies for their patients inside.   

Cmdr. Joses remained in Bilibid until Dec. 11, 1944, when he was forced to board the Oryoku Maru, with 1,600 other POWs.  In the ship, he was put in charge of 250 men.  Fearing it was too dangerous to proceed the journey from Manila or to stay in the Manila Port Area, the Captain of the Oryoku Maru moved the ship to Subic Bay, anchoring about a mile off shore.  The ship was bombed twice by US carrier based planes, first on Dec. 14 and finally on Dec. 15, when she took a 500 lbs. bomb into her third cargo hold.  The ship began to sink and the survivors swam for the shore. 

The remaining POWs were kept in the tennis courts in Subic Bay and after a few days, they were marched to Olongapo City where they boarded a train for San Fernando, Pampanga.  They spent the night in San Fernando, where those too weak to continue were taken to a cemetery and executed.  The next day, the rest boarded another train for San Fernando, La Union (another San Fernando).  The next day the majority of them boarded the Enoura Maru and a smaller group of them boarded the Brazil Maru.  Their destination was Moji, Japan, after a brief stop in Takao, Formosa. 

While docked in Takao Harbor, on Jan. 9, the Enoura Maru was also bombed by US carrier based planes.  Although too badly damaged to finish her journey to Moji, Japan, the ship did not sink.  They removed the dead from the ship and buried them in a mass grave near the Harbor.

On December 16, 1945, the remaining  POWs were put on board the Brazil Maru for the remaining leg of the journey to Moji, Japan.   In the evening of Jan. 20, four days after they left Takao Harbor, Cmdr. Joses became very sick.  He had a very bad case of dysentery and there was no longer any medicine to dispense to those who were sick. 

Cmdr. Joses called Boatswain Clarence Taylor to his side.  He told Boatswain Taylor that he did not think he would be alive for much longer.  Taylor attempted to cheer him, giving him a pep talk and assuring him that he would get better.  The next morning, on Jan. 21, 1945, Boatswain Taylor went to Cmdr. Joses' side.  Taylor noticed Cmdr. Joses passed away in his sleep. 

Fred