Bridagier General Carl Herndon Seals
“Brigadier General Carl Seals was a fifty-nine-year-old infantry specialist from Texas. He was one of a group of capable men that surrounded and served General Douglas MacArthur in the Philappines before and during the war.
– The complete History of World War II, Francis Trevelyan Miller, Litt.D, LL.D., page 350
General Seals service in the US Army includes:
1935 – Adjutant-General Philippines Islands
1940 – Adjutant-General Philippine Department
1942-45 – Prisoner of War
“General Seals had been Adjutant-General of the United States Army Forces in the Far East under General Douglas MacArthur and was serving under Jonathan Wainwright when Corregidor was surrendered to the Japanese on May 6, 1942. From that date until August 22, 19045, General Seals was a prisoner of war. He was liberated from a prison camp in Manchuria by the advancing Russians and retired upon his return to the United States.”
– Arlington National Cemetery Website
General Seals had been serving 0n Corregidor, however, due to Margaret Byroade Seals’ critically suffering from arthritis, the two were placed on a Navy plane that would evacuate them from the Philippines and would take them to freedom. “On April 29, two navy planes made their way to Corregidor to take some 30 nurses and twenty assorted officers away. The military personnel were critically needed by General MacArthur to aid in the war effort in Australia. The airplane that had flown the nurses, McArthur’s staff and the Seals away struck something while landing at Lake Lanao on Mindanao. The ruptured hull could not be repaired, thus was abandoned. And so the passengers who deserved a better fate were captured in the fall of Mindanao and became prisoners of war. They included General and Mrs. Seals“.
– General Wainwrights Story, by Jonathan Wainwright, Edited by Robert Considine.
It is a bit cloudy how General Seals ended up with the 180 officers that were held at Tarlac on Luzon. He was later transported by “Hell Ship”, alias “Stinky Maru” to Karenko, Formosa and was held there from September 27, 1942 until June 6, 1943 when he was transported to Hoten POW Camp, Mukden, Manchuria where he served out his sentence of prisoner of war.
– Karenko Prisoner of War Camp , Formosa
– Hoten Prisoner of War Camp, Mukden, Manchuria
“As the Japanese Imperial Army realized that they were about to lose the war, the Mukden Camp commander ordered the making of enough buns for 3 days. It is believed that the POWs were to be sent 3 days into the wilderness around the camp and murdered. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. Americans had broken the codes used by the Japanese and knew about the Kill All order. They (Americans) had been making plans to get supplies to the known POW camps as the war ended, but in the case of Mukden, and 3-4 other camps, they felt the men were likely to be murdered before they could get to them. On August 16, before word of the surrender got to the camps, a six man American OSS team parachuted into the Mukden area to tell the Japanese camp leaders that Japan had surrendered and prevent them from killing the POWs.
These liberators became POWs for one night, then the two went on to the Sian camp where high ranking officers were held”.
– Mukden POWs
General Herndon Seals was liberated August 20, 1945 by Russian troops. “The Russians gave them decent food, and distributed the mail that the Japanese had withheld. They also gave the men the remains of the Red Cross boxes that the Japanese had not plundered, allowed them to wash, and gave them new clothing. They even hastily constructed a stage and entertained the POWs with movies and a Russian Dancer.
The American recovery team arrived on August 26th, to start the process of getting the men home. On August 27, the sickest of the men were being evacuated by plane, and the rest were organized to go by train to the port in the city of Darien (Now Dalian) to board ships to take them to jumping off points to home. By September 11, the last of the living men were out of the camp and the men in the cemetery were disinterred and either returned to their families or buried where the family requested”.
– Mukden POWs
General Seals retired when he returned to the US in 1945. He died October 29, 1955.
General Seals wife, Margaret Byroade Seals was transported to Manila and was held prisoner at Santa Tomas. There her health continued to decline. Upon liberation in May of 1945, she was transported via hospital ship to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. and later died May 25, 1945. It is believed that upon liberation, a high ranking Red Cross VIP recognized her at Santa Tomas and had known of her social connection to Mrs. Jean MacArthur. Arrangements were then made for her to be taken to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Both Margaret and General Seals are buried together at Arlington National Cemetary.
Letter from General Seals’ sister
Photo – The Daily Herald, Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi Coast, Saturday, February 14, 1942