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<em>Dale Joel Kinnee,</em> the son of Peter Joel Kinnee and Mary Hoffman Dailey Kinnee, was born in Van Buren, Arkansas, on February 24, 1904. His French and Irish lineage were reflected in his character and personality. Thus, while he was normally serious-minded, he possessed a surprising friendly sense of humor which cropped out at the most unexpected times. His romantic devotion to duty was tempered by a realistic mind capable of analyzing facts in their true light and finding a workable solution to the most difficult problems. Dale was always far-sighted, a planner and a doer. He was thorough and painstaking in everything he did, both in line of duty and in the pursuit of hobbies and pleasure.</p>
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Though never a heavy drinker, Dale was famous for his excellent Planter’s Punch, always meticulously prepared by his own hands. He could prepare a salad for the table, or a complete meal for a hunting or fishing camp, with equal dexterity.</p>
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He was a renowned hunter, fisherman and woodsman. Through these sports he became thoroughly familiar with the terrain and waters, both inland and coastal, of the Philippines and of other places where he was stationed, or which were accessible by car, font, horse or boat. He devised and used a method for adapting an outboard motor to the native dugout canoe, or “banca” He was an expert in river-crossing operations and, in a pre-war training film, his mules are pictured swimming the Pasig River “in formation” He later handled motor transport with equal excellence. During a lull in maneuvers on Bataan in 1934, Dale was detailed to head a sketching party covering a certain portion of the peninsula. He discovered a terrain feature which had been omitted from the existing map, and which was to become a key-point in the defense of Bataan. Little did he know, then, that his own capture would occur near this same spot some eight years later.</p>
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Dale attended grade and high school in Woodward, Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1925 with a B.A. degree. He entered West Point the same year, appointed by Representative M. C. Garber of District 8, Oklahoma. During his cadet years, he kept up in his studies, pursued various hobbies, including fishing, photography, canoeing and skiing, and made innumerable friends. He trained especially hard all four years for lacrosse and earned his Major “A” in 1929. By First Class year, he had developed great physical stamina, which made him a mainstay of the team in this hardy sport, and which served him well through later life.</p>
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On graduation, Dale was commissioned in the Infantry and detailed to the Air Corps at March Field. “Lacking the inherent ability to fly”, he was relieved from this detail on December 4, 1929, and assigned to duty with the 4th Infantry at Fort Missoula, Montana. This assignment found him proficient in both rifle company and machine-gun company duties, and still allowed him time for plenty of trout fishing and big and small game hunting. No one on the post was a better player of the new game of contract bridge, which was then gradually replacing “Auction”, but the outdoor life held a greater appeal for him. Both spheres of activity brought, ninny more friends, both military and civilian. It became evident during this period that he was a natural leader with a flair for organization and planning. It made no difference whether it was a military tusk or a fishing expedition. A good provider, he was always busy without appearing so, accomplishing much without fuss. With Dale in charge (and this naturally fell to him regardless of rank), he would tend and lead the way, blaze a trail to get back out, procure more than his share of the wood, cook most of the best meals, make sure that the salt or ammunition or tackle was not left at home before starting, and still catch more fish or kill as much game as the next best man in the party.</p>
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In due time we were transferred, together, to the Philippines and assigned to the 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts, stationed at Fort William McKinley. During two weeks’ leave, prior to sailing, Dale learned more about San Francisco than most natives learn in a lifetime (and had the pictures to prove it). The trip over on the (hunt was interesting, but not especially eventful except for new friendships and some speculation as to whether the submarine which paced us in the vicinity of Hawaii was American or Japanese. This was in February of 1932, the month in which the 31st Infantry was sent from the Philippines to Shanghai because of the Japanese attack there. This troop movement took place while we were at sea and caused us to be assigned to the Scouts instead of to the 31st Infantry. Efforts to be transferred to Shanghai were unfruitful. Dale settled down to his duties with Co. D of the regiment and became so interested that when the 31st Infantry returned to Manila, and some transfers were permitted, he elected to stay with his new regiment. Some features of this first tour of duty in the Philippines have already been noted, but there are two additional points I want to mention. The first is that, because of his success with animals in river-crossing training, he was transferred to the Service Company, and the second has to do with his devotion to his mother. Up to this time, he had written her faithfully and sent money for her support. Now, he went a step further and invited her to make her home with him. She joined him at Fort McKinley and made her home with him until her death at Fort Sam Houston in 1939. It would be hard to tell whether Dale’s devotion was greatest to his mother (during her lifetime), his wife (whom he married later), his church or his country.</p>
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Accompanied by his mother, 1st Lt. Kinnee (promoted November 1. 1934) left the Philippines in May 1935, on leave for travel in the Orient, incidental to his change of station. After a year spent as a student at the Infantry School, Fort Benning, he was assigned to the Hq. & M.P. Co., 2nd Div. at Fort Sam Houston. He served both as a company officer and as commander of this company. The Division was to become the first completely motorized division in our Army and conducted the tests of the ‘streamlined” (or triangular) organization. Dale’s pioneering work in traffic control for such units was meritorious and the smooth-functioning of the division headquarters was due in part at least, to his efforts. Toward the latter part of this tour of duty. Dale courted and won the hand of Kate Hopwood, daughter of Col. and Mrs. Lucius L. Hopwood, U.S.A., Ret’d (Medical Corps) of San Antonio, Texas. They were married November 22, 1939, and Captain Kinnee (promoted June 13, 1939) was already under orders for change of station—back to the Philippines for his second tour of duty there. The actual departure from duty at “Fort Sam” was not until December 8th. It might well be said that their voyage to Zamboanga and their limited stay there, where Dale was on duty as a company commander of Philippine Scout troops, really prolonged their honeymoon. His many friends are glad that he could have had even this short period of marital happiness. About May 1, 1941, Kate was evacuated to the States, along with other dependents, and Dale was transferred to Manila and made Headquarters Commandant, Headquarters, Philippine Department. In the fall of that year, he was promoted to the rank of major.</p>
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Inasmuch as war plans contemplated that Department Headquarters would move on the approach of hostilities, no provision was made for the fortification of its peacetime site, other than its location in antiquated Fort Santiago. When, after the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, no movement order was forthcoming, Dale quickly seized the initiative and sandbagged the entrance to the headquarters. As a result, even the headquarters messes were able to continue functioning during the bombing of Manila which shortly followed. One officer made the remark: “When many personnel were in a state of hysteria, Dale’s outfit acted as a steadying influence”.</p>
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On December 24, 1941, all of the following arrived at Corregidor expecting to be quartered in Malinta Tunnel: General MacArthur’s headquarters (U.S.A.F.E.) which had not been visualized in any previous plans; Hq. Philippine Dept., which had been visualized as the supreme tactical as well as administrative headquarters; Headquarters, Post of Manila; Hq. Fort Stotsenburg; Quezon’s staff, and half of Commissioner Sayre’s staff; all with their principals. Dale was quick to realize that all these could not possibly remain in the tunnel in addition to the coast artillery, medical and supply personnel, and the other installations already there. He made prompt provision for his own group and certain others to occupy “Middle-side Barracks”, which had been vacated by the artillerymen when they took up their defense stations. Before the Jap air raid of December 29th, foxholes which he had ordered dug were completed. The space available for these lay between the road, which ran along the barracks, and the cliff which dropped down to “Bottomside”, and was so narrow that the foxholes had to be dug parallel to the road. Many an officer would have decided that there was no room there for foxholes, but not Dale. During the raid a 500 kilo bomb hit the road and “Although many men were lifted bodily out of their foxholes by the concussion which followed the explosion, not a man received a scratch”. The barracks, though not destroyed at this time, were damaged by the bomb.</p>
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About this time, General MacArthur ordered Department Headquarters to Bataan, limited it to administrative and supply functions (similar to a service command), and designated a lower-ranking commander (Brig. Gen. McBride). For reasons which have already been recorded elsewhere, supplies of food and medicine were adequate for only about 15 days to serve the approximately 75,000 troops, most of whom were poorly-clothed, inadequately-equipped, partly-trained native conscripts. No such supplies were available for some 35,000 native civilians who had crowded into Bataan and who were, therefore, forced to live off the country, thereby limiting the supply of game, etc., needed to feed the troops later. Nevertheless, Dale’s messes managed to feed two meals per day, even though the meals were extremely scanty at times and might be only small portions of stewed monkey. On luckier days, wild chicken was served. One officer made this remark: “Dale rigged out a well concealed camp. Even when the ration got to one can of salmon per twelve persons, it was eaten off a clean rustic improvised table while sitting on improvised chairs and, following Dale’s example, no one would think of sitting down without being shaved and clean”.</p>
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One day word reached Department Headquarters that “There are some Japs in our rear”. Whether a handful or a large force was not known, nor their location. Possibly on orders, or perhaps on his own initiative because of the immediate danger, Captain Sam Jones and a driver started out in an official car to investigate. When they failed to return within a reasonable time, Dale formed and led a party of volunteers to search for their missing comrades and to scout the enemy. This patrol sent back word that the enemy had landed in force and gave important information as to numbers and dispositions (first report said “over 1,000”). The patrol then became engaged, protecting the main route into the headquarters, pending arrival of reinforcements. It then continued in the fight until the Japs had been expelled at the end of the third day. The enemy force was a Jap regiment which had landed principally at Aglaloma and Quinawan. One survivor of Bataan told me that: “For this and other exploits above and beyond the call of duty, Gen. McBride stated that he was going to recommend Dale for appropriate decorations”. Another had this to say: “All of General McBride’s records were lost when he died at Shirakawa, Taiwan. He was most reluctant to commit anything to writing, for fear of Jap reprisals. His promises for future awards were nullified by death … I am sure that had things not turned out as they did, he (Dale J. Kinnee) would have been decorated”. This same officer also had this to say about Dale: “The pressure of the enemy was never allowed to interfere with the execution of his duties. He started the war as a major and was not promoted due to no fault of his own. This disheartening fact did not deter him from continually working for and planning the close-in defense and beach defense of his headquarters. He had unlimited energy and foresight. His planning was sound and his bravery unquestioned. Despite heartbreaking adversity he maintained his composure and was at all times an exponent of the best traditions of the old Regular Army. He was captured with the rest of the weary, hungry and sick forces of our garrison. The Japs took over our C.P. at K.P. 166.5 Bataan on 10 April 42. That morning the ‘Death March’ started for us”.</p>
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While never receiving a citation for individual bravery and gallantry above and beyond the call of duty, to which his comrades believed him entitled, records of the War Department show that he was entitled to the following: Purple Heart (posthumous) for having made the supreme sacrifice in defense of his country; American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star for Philippine Islands Campaign; World War II Victory Medal; Distinguished Unit Emblem with two Oak Leaf Clusters; and the Philippine Defense Ribbon with one Bronze Star.</p>
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Dale was held a prisoner at Camp O’Donnel, Cabanatuan, Davao, again at Cabanatuan, then Bilibid and finally on the Oryoku Maru. It has been said that, throughout this trying period, he maintained his composure and served as a source of strength to others. He was ever gentlemanly in his contacts with his companions and was as punctiliously clean as the circumstances permitted.</p>
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Having known Dale intimately at four different stations as well as at the Academy, I know his qualifications well and feel that I know something about the way his mind worked. There is no doubt in my mind that he intended to organize and lead a guerrilla band to further the American cause on Luzon as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Shortly before his death, he had organized a party of fellow prisoners and somehow secured a raft which they had alongside the prison ship. They might have made good their escape but Dale, ever the good provider, decided they needed more provisions and made a second trip back to the ship’s galley. Past hunger must have influenced this decision and he must have carefully weighed the dangers involved against the need for more food. At any rate, it was secured and the dash for the shore started before they were discovered by a sentry. A machine gun ended his life. It is little consolation that the prison ship from which he nearly escaped was sunk that same day, December 15, 1944, by our own forces, who thought it transported Jap troops.</p>
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Dale is survived by a sister, Doras (Mrs. Harlan Yoakum) whose last known address was Houston, Texas, and by his beloved Kate. Kate joined the “Waves” in July 1943 and served until May 1946. She reached the rank of Lieutenant, senior-grade, and held a responsible assignment in connection with the control of convoys throughout the Pacific. This was a “Top-secret” job requiring ability, integrity and confidence. She performed this job well, not only because of her patriotism and talents but also because she had a very personal interest in the Pacific operations, and kept her faith that she would hear from Dale at the earliest possible moment through her position and location. She never gave up hope until officially notified by the War Department of Dale’s death. After a considerable period of time, Kate married Lt. Col. John D. Payne, an engineer, who is now serving at Mitchel Air Force Base, Long Island, New York.</p>
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<em>—A Classmate</em></p>
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