Lieutenant ColonelEdwin Price Ramsey(May 9, 1917 – March 7, 2013) was aUnited States Armyofficer andguerrillaleader during theWorld War IIJapanese occupation of the Philippines.Early in the war, he led the last American cavalry charge in military history.[2][3]
Edwin Ramsey | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 9, 1917 Carlyle, Illinois |
| Died | March 7, 2013(aged 95) Los Angeles, California |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941–46 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant colonel |
| Unit | 26th Cavalry Regiment(Philippine Scouts) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross[1] Silver Star[1] Purple Heart[2] |
| Relations | Anne Ramsey(Cousin) |
Early life
editEdwin Ramsey was born inCarlyle, Illinois.The family moved, first toEl Dorado, Kansas,when he was two, and then toWichitaten years later. His father committed suicide after being arrested on suspicion of battering his wife.[3]Ramsey's mother was adermatologistwho later ran her own clinic. His older sister,Nadine,became one of the first femaleUnited States Mailpilots[3]and ferried fighters and bombers in World War II.[2]
Ramsey graduated fromOklahoma Military AcademyinClaremore, Oklahoma,in May 1938.[4]He attended theUniversity of Oklahoma,but left to enlist in theUnited States Armyin 1941.[3]
World War II
editIn February 1941, Second Lieutenant Ramsey was assigned to the 11th Cavalry Regiment atCampo, California.[4]When volunteers were requested for the26th Cavalry Regiment(Philippine Scouts) in the Philippines, he jumped at the opportunity.[5]Ramsey recalled later that "... I didn't even know where it was, except that it was a warm country, it was tropical and they had a goodpoloteam there. "[2]He had been on the Oklahoma Military Academy polo team and played on the losing side of a polo match in the Philippines the day beforeJapan attacked Pearl Harbor;the umpire was Major GeneralJonathan M. Wainwright(who would assume command of theSouth West Pacific Areaafter GeneralDouglas MacArthurwas evacuated to Australia).[5]
As a first lieutenant during the withdrawal toCorregidorin thePhilippines Campaign,he was in command of the 27-man, mostly Filipino G Troop when they encountered the enemy in the village ofMorongon theBataanpeninsula on January 16, 1942.[2]Despite being heavily outnumbered by an infantry force supported by tanks, Ramsey ordered the last cavalry charge in American military history. The surprised Japanese broke and fled. Ramsey and his men held their position for five hours under heavy fire, until reinforcements could be brought up. He would later be awarded theSilver Starand thePurple Heartfor this action.[1][5]
After thefall of Bataan,Ramsey and Captain Joseph Barker made their way to centralLuzonand joined Lieutenant ColonelClaude Thorp,who had been given the task of organizingguerrilla resistanceby MacArthur.[5]Luzon was divided into four regions, and Barker was given responsibility for the East Central Luzon Guerrilla Area (ECLGA),[6]extending fromManilatoLingayen Gulf.[5]After Thorp was captured by the Japanese in October 1942, Barker took his place, putting Ramsey in charge of the ECLGA. Barker himself was eventually caught and executed by the Japanese. The guerrilla force under Ramsey's command grew to nearly 40,000. They fought using captured and hand-made weapons ( "We made arms out of sawed-off pipes that we used as shotguns."[3]), gathered intelligence and distributed propaganda.[2][3]
Allied forceslanded in Luzonin early January 1945. On June 13, General MacArthur personally awarded Ramsey theDistinguished Service Crossfor his guerrilla activities.[5]Ramsey, already a major by 1943, was promoted to lieutenant colonel shortly before being ordered back to the United States.[5]The ordeal in the Philippines had taken its toll – he had lost half his weight and was down to only 93 pounds (42 kg) in January 1945 – and he spent nearly a year recovering frommalaria,dysentery,and acute malnutrition in the hospital.[5]Lieutenant Colonel Ramsey received a medical discharge in 1946.[5][7]
Post-war
editRamsey obtained alaw degreeat theUniversity of Oklahoma.He was a vice president ofHughes Aircraft Corporation's Far East division in Japan. He later headed electronics and consulting firms in Taiwan and the Philippines. When he retired, he settled in California.[2][3]
He co-wrote his memoirs,Lieutenant Ramsey's War: From Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander,published in 1990.[8]
Personal life
editIn 1948, he married Madeleine Willoquet, the daughter of the French ambassador in Manila. They had four children. They divorced in the 1970s. He then married Raquel Ramirez in 1979.
Edwin Price Ramsey died of natural causes on March 7, 2013, and was buried with full military honors atArlington National Cemeteryon June 28.[3][9]He was survived by his second wife and his four children from his first marriage.
References
edit- ^abc"Edwin P. Ramsey".Military Times.RetrievedAugust 31,2015.
- ^abcdefgPhil Davison (April 3, 2013)."Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin Ramsey: Soldier who led the last cavalry charge by the US army".The Independent.
- ^abcdefghElaine Woo (March 17, 2013)."WWII cavalry officer in the Philippines".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon March 19, 2013.
- ^ab"Edwin Price Ramsey".Oklahoma History Center.RetrievedAugust 31,2015.
- ^abcdefghi"Soldier: Ed Ramsey, 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts)".MilitaryHistoryOnline.RetrievedSeptember 2,2015.
- ^"Bataan Diary".bataandiary.RetrievedSeptember 3,2015.
- ^"The Fight in the Philippines: Edwin P. Ramsey".PBS.RetrievedSeptember 2,2015.
- ^Ramsey, Edwin Price; Rivele, Stephen J. (1990).Lieutenant Ramsey's War: From Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander.Brassey's.ISBN9781574880526.RetrievedAugust 30,2017.
- ^"28/06/2013: Photo and Video Releases: Interment of Guerrilla Leader Edwin Ramsey".Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C.June 28, 2013.RetrievedAugust 31,2015.