ARM2c John B. Kepchia
U.S. Navy (USN), TBF Avenger Radio Operator and Prisoner Of War (POW)

Background
John Bozer Kepchia was born in Greensburg, PA. Nicknamed "Kep".

Wartime History
Enlisted in the U.S. Navy (USN) with serial number 6528343. Assigned to Torpedo Squadron 305 (VT-305) "The Red Ass Squadron". Asssinged to fly as a radio operator and gunner aboard TBF Avengers. Kepchia flew 33 combat missons with pilot Ensign Donald D. Atkiss and gunner AOM2c Richard I. Lanigan in the South Pacific (SoPAC).

Mission History
On May 21, 1944 at 7:50am took off from Piva North Airfield (Piva Uncle) aboard TBF-1 Avenger 23987 piloted by Ensign Donald D. Atkiss armed with four 500 pounds bombs on a bombing mission against the runway at Vunakanau Airfield near Rabaul. This was the crew's 34th combat mission.

During the bomb run, this Avenger was hit by anti-aircraft fire causing the engine to loose power and Atkiss radioed that he was going to make a force landing and crashed into a coconut plantation roughly seven miles southwest of Tobera Airfield, just north of Warangoi Plantation and seven miles north of the Warangoi River. Above, TBF Avenger Number 19 piloted by Lt. McCarson with Addison and Grogan watched it go down and after the crash looked for any activity around the crash site, but saw none and presumed the crew was dead and departed.

Prisoner Of War (POW)
On impact, Atkiss was injured when the control stick hit his chest. Kepchia suffered a shrapnel wound on the top of his head, but was unhurt in the landing. Lanigan survived unhurt. Soon afterwards, all three were captured by a group of forty Japanese and became Prisoners Of War (POWs). During their captivity, none received any medical treatment. All three were severely beaten, especially Lanigan who seemed to receive twice the number of beatings as the others.

Initially the prisoners were tied to trees, then marched approximately 3.5 miles and detained in a cave for two weeks, fed only with a half bowl of rice and occasionally some shark meat. During June 1944, they were handcuffed and transported by truck to Tunnel Hill POW Camp.

By May 1945 Atkiss and Lanigan had both contracted malaria and never received medical treatment. As their malaria became worse, both were in a coma for two weeks before they died in captivity. Lanigan died on May 29, 1945 and Atkiss died on May 30, 1945. Both died in the arms of Kepchia and asked him to visit their families if he survived captivity. For unknown reasons, both were declared dead by the Japanese or in error two months later: Lanigan on July 29, 1945 and Atkiss on July 30, 1945.

Kepchia received no medical attention and his weight dropped from 170 pounds to 74 pounds from dysentery during 17 months of captivity. He was subjected to medical experimentation by medical officers Dr. Fushita and Dr. Hirano, including over a hundred injections in each arm with unknown fluids, to test their effects. He contracted malaria four times from the injections and suffered from elephantiasis swelling of his testicles, hands, feet and faces. All the while, he and the other prisoners were expected to work.

At the of the Pacific War, Kepchia was the youngest Allied POW to survive captivity at Rabaul. On September 7, 1945 Kepchia and other surviving prisoners were liberated by Australian forces. They were embarked aboard HMAS Vendetta (D69) and transported to Jacquinot Bay. The next day, flown aboard a C-47 from Jacquinot Bay Airfield to New Guinea, then to Leyte were the American prisoners recovered for three weeks at a military hospital before being transported by ship to Seattle.

Memorials
Kepchia passed away January 29, 2023 at age 98 in Monroeville, PA. He is buried at Westmoreland County Memorial Park in Greensburg, PA.

References
Logbook of Joseph Kepchia, May 21, 1944 notes lost Avenger as bureau number 23978
NARA VT-305 War Diary May 1944 pages 5, 7, 8, 66
(Page 5) "21 May, 1944 - Eighteen aircraft struck Vunakanau R/W [Runway], New Britain. Plane #22 piloted by Ensign Donald D. Atkiss, A-V(N), USNR, serial #263870, with John B. Kepchia ARM2c, USNR, #652 83 43 as radioman, and Richard I. Lanigan, AOM2c, USNR #338 18 63 as turret gunner, failed to return from the flight. Shortly after he completed his dive over the R/W he called Lt. Vorndam, who was leading the flight that his engine had been hit and that he was going to make a force landing. Lt. Vorndam was unable to to contact him to get his position, so he left the formation and searched the part of retirement for the missing plane, but with negative results. Later a PV-1 reported seeing either an SBD or a TBF crash into the sea between one and two miles south of [blank] Island in the St. Georges Channel. There were no survivors of that crash. Searches carried out by a Dumbo and PV-1 later in the day were with negative results."
(Page 7) "Roster of Officers - Ensign Donald D. Atkiss, AV(N) USNR 263870
(Page 8) "Roster of Enlisted Men - John Bozer Kepchia, 6528343 ARM2c USNR, Richard Irl Lanigan, 3381863 AOM2c USNR"
(Page 66) COMAIRSOLS Strike Command TBF Intelligence - 21 May 1944
"Plane #22 - Pilot: Ensign D. D. Atkiss, US failed to return, reported making a force landing, but gave no position."
NARA World War II Prisoners of War Data File - Kepchia John Bozer
M.I.A. Over Rabaul South Pacific (1986) by John B. Kepchia
The Siege of Rabaul (1996) by Henry Sakaida pages 93 (Rabaul's Military Prisoners - Atkiss), 94 (Rabaul's Military Prisoners - Lanigan, Kepchia)
FindAGrave - John B. Kepchia (photo, obituary)
Thanks to John B. Kepchia for additional information

Contribute Information
Do you have photos or additional information to add?