Pueblo soldier's daring escape was 'one of the greatest stories of World War II'
A Pueblo soldier who took part in "one of the greatest stories of World War II" is the latest addition to an impressive lineup of courageous military members who grew up in the Home of Heroes.
Paul Marshall, a 1935 Pueblo Central High School graduate, was part of the "Davao Dozen." The group included 10 American military servicemen and two Filipino soldiers who escaped a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp where they had been held and sentenced to hard labor following the fall of the Philippines in World War II.
Pueblo historian Doug Sterner, a prolific author who has made it his goal to preserve the stories of American military heroes, got a pleasant surprise recently when he discovered details about Marshall's role in the daring escape.
"Pueblo is known for its four Medal of Honor recipients, but there are so many others that have served and are highly decorated," he said.
The escape played out on April 4, 1943, when the men were sent to work in the rice paddies. The escapees fled into the swamps and evaded their captors for days before meeting up with Filipino guerillas.
"Lt. Col. Marshall commanded the Philippine Guerrillas' 110th Division throughout two years of combat after his escape from Davao," Sterner said.
The full story is detailed in Sterner's new book, "Beyond Belief, True Stories of Great Escapes that Defy Comprehension," due to publish on Memorial Day. Sterner and a team of six other authors wrote stories for the book, which was then edited by his wife Pam Sterner.
From golden nugget to mother lode of research
Most of Sterner's research during the past three decades has been compiling a database of the United States military’s most highly decorated veterans because the branches of military service do not maintain a comprehensive listing of award recipients.
"So many of my citations have these great stories behind them. It's like finding gold — I'm digging and digging and then, boom — I hit that nugget and dig some more and there's the mother lode below it and it just makes my day," he said.
Sterner was on one such deep dive when, "Lo and behold I found this kid from Pueblo who was part of one of the greatest stories of World War II," Sterner told the Chieftain. "This highly decorated Puebloan is virtually unknown here."
"It's fascinating the stories I run into."
Sterner discovered Marshall, who was born June 27, 1917, in Kansas, moved with his family to Pueblo where he was an honor student at Central. He participated in "Agora" for three years, serving as sergeant-at-arms his sophomore year and as vice-president his junior year before graduating in 1935.
"He joined the U.S. Army in 1941, was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was sent to the Philippine Islands with Battery I, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment (Anti-Aircraft), where in 1942 he earned the Silver Star at Corregidor. After the surrender of Corregidor on May 6, 1942, he was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Luzon then later moved to Davao," Sterner explained.
Marshall was discharged from the army in October 1945 and returned to Pueblo where he married Frances Ardelle Johnson on Nov. 16, 1945. The couple had three sons before the family moved to Oregon.
Marshall worked in the retail meat industry and later real estate. He and Frances moved to Boise, Idaho, in 2005 where he died in 2006 at the age of 88.
The Home of Heroes and beyond
Sterner is working to chronicle "Beyond Belief" books detailing heroic sacrifices of military service members for all 50 states, "if I live long enough," the 74-year-old author joked.
Sterner's Colorado book was released in 2023 and details the escapades of more than 80 of the state's military heroes.
Marshall is the 60th Puebloan Sterner has found that grew up or entered military service from Pueblo and earned one of the military's three highest awards for combat valor. So far, that list of 60 is "100% complete for the top two awards, including the Medal of Honor and Service Crosses," he said.
The list is an estimated 90% complete for Silver Stars, so he may still dig up more golden nuggets.
The "Great Escapes" book is available May 27 on Amazon in hardback, paperback, or Kindle form. To find out more about Sterner's 116 books go to herobooks.org where a listing of books includes links to the Amazon bookstore.
More hero news: What to know about the Medal of Honor recipients that made Pueblo the 'Home of Heroes'
Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Book details Pueblo soldier's daring escape from World War II POW camp
