Born in Janesville, Maryland, Arthur "Art" Rice (1916-2006) was raised in Milwaukee, Minnesota, where he graduated from vocational school before enlisting in the Army in 1935. Stationed in Manila Bay, Philipines, as a member of Battery B of the 59th Coast Artillery, he returned to the states in 1937 where he was discharged. Reenlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1938 and transferred back to the Philippines, Rice was on guard with the 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Far East Air Force at Nichols Field when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, beginning U. S. involvement in World War II. Japanese planes bombed Nichols Field that night, wounding Rice in the leg. Several months later, on April 9th, his squadron surrendered to Japanese troops and began the 55-mile "Bataan Death March" to a prisoner of war camp. Rice remained captive at various camps until August 1945. Upon his return to Milwaukee, Rice married Minnie Taglicht and continued his career in the Air Force, retiring as a Master Sergeant in June 1957. Active in veteran and ex-prisoner of war organizations, including the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Rice also had a successful second career in insurance until his retirement in 1984.
Source:
Rice, Arthur. "
Comprising newsletters and lists, the Art Rice World War II Collection, 1960-1967, documents the activities of American ex-prisoners of war (POW) from World War II.
This collection is open for research use.
Art Rice World War II Collection, 1960-1967, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s