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career in law in Stillwater in the late 1930s. In the Spring of 1941, he had just been appointed as Payne County attorney; however, with war on the horizon, he resigned to accept a commission in the U. S. Navy. Assigned to a station in Manila, he arrived only a few weeks before the Japanese attacks.
Part of the garrison charged with defending Corregidor Island, Berry became a prisoner of the Japanese when that island fortress was surrendered on May 8, 1942. Sent to a prison camp at Cabanatuan, Berry and two others saw the emaciated condition of new arrivals from Bataan and determinedly made an escape. After about 40 days, the three Naval officers were recaptured and sent back to Cabanatuan. Soon after, they boarded a train enroute to Manila for an appearance in front of a military tribunal. Their trial dragged on and on, but so too did the delay in the usual sentence for escaping: execution. By the end of 1944, the American liberation had begun, and its presence was felt in Bilibid Prison, where Berry was being held captive. The Japanese installed antiaircraft guns on the premises that shook the building when firing on incoming American aircraft.
One day, according to his memoir, " Prisoner of the Rising Sun ", Berry and his fellow inmate awoke to utter desertion. The Japanese guards who were known for their constant berating of the prisoners, were now nowhere in sight. Suddenly an enormous boom shook the foundations of Bilibid, and smoke and shrapnel filled the air. Through the haze an armed figure appeared. One of Berry’ s fellow inmates questioned the gunman’ s identity; the man simply replied“ I’ m a Yank … who the hell are you?” The inmate let out a resounding rebuttal,“ I’ m an American prisoner of war! And we’ ve been waiting for you for three years!” Thus William Berry was finally liberated. Upon his return to Stillwater, he gave many talks to local organizations, telling of his many wartime exploits. He resumed his legal career, which culminated with an appointment as Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Suddenly an enormous boom shook the foundations of Bilibid, and smoke and shrapnel filled the air. Through the haze an armed figure appeared. One of Berry’ s fellow inmates questioned the gunman’ s identity; the man simply replied“ I’ m a Yank … who the hell are you?” The inmate let out a resounding rebuttal,“ I’ m an American prisoner of war! And we’ ve been waiting for you for three years!” Thus William Berry was finally liberated.
JAMES WORTHLEY United States Army
F
irst Lieutenant James Worthley was born Dec. 7, 1924 in Boise, Idaho, the youngest son of Leighton E. Worthley and Anna Worthley. The family relocated to Stillwater where James went on to attend Oklahoma A & M and was involved in the fraternity scene. He enlisted on Dec. 8, 1942 – immediately upon turning 18, and exactly a year after the Japanese attacks that drew the United States into World War II. It marked the beginning of Worthley’ s selfless military career.
Worthley became an infantryman in the 41st Division. Interestingly, his father, Lieutenant Colonel Leighton Worthley – who served in the Spanish-American War and both World Wars before his retirement – had at one point instructed the 41st. Nor was that the extent of the Worthley family’ s military legacy. James’ brother also answered his country’ s call to serve, becoming an officer and flight engineer on a B-29 bomber crew.
Brent Jones contemplates the grave of James Worthley, American Memorial Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
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