JAMES PATRICK BOYD |
Sweetwater Reporter Monday July 1, 1991 pg 3 Services will be at 9:30 a.m. PDT at Habing Family Funeral Home in Gilroy with a funeral mass at 10 a.m. PDT at St. Mary's Church. Burial will be private. Mr. Boyd was a native of Texas and had lived in Gilroy for 45 years. He was a retired farmer and businessman. A veteran of World War II, he was awarded several medals for his service in the guerilla forces in the Philippines, including two Oak Leaf Clusters, two Bronze Stars, the Prisoner of War Medal and the Purple Heart. He was inducted into the Army Ordnance Hall of Fame for his meritorious conduct in a ceremony held May 21, 1990 at Fort Ord. He was a life member of American Legion Post 669, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Eva Boyd of Gilroy, two sons, Patrick Boyd and Casey Boyd, both of Gilroy; a daughter and son-in-law, Becky and Monte Lorenzet of Cupertino, Calif.; a grandson, Patrick Boyd of Los Altos, Calif.; three sisters, Iona Adams of Oxnard, Calif., Jesse Lee Campbell of El Paso and Melva Weideman of Sweetwater; two brothers, Robert Boyd of Dallas and Vivian Boyd of Sweetwater, and many nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made to the VA Hospice of Gilroy or the American Diabetes Society.
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The
Dispatch-Friday June 3, 1994
LIFE OF LOCAL WAR HERO WAS ONE TO REMEMBER
As
major events of World War II draw near to the 50th anniversary this
month, we take a look back at one of Gilroy'd heros, James
Patrick Boyd.
Here is his story. James Patrick Boyd was born in Sweetwater, Texas on Oct. 21, 1917. He was the son of Samuel and Ethel Parks Boyd. He attended public school in Sweetwater, graduating from Sweetwater High School in the mid-1930's.He enlisted in the Army and was trained as a tank and artillery specialist. He attained the rank of sergeant in the 17th Armored Ordnance company on Luzon Island in the Philippines.
When
Major General Edward P. King surrendered his troops to the Japanese on
April 9, 1942, Boyd managed to escape the infamous Bataan death
march. The prisoners of war were to report to an enemy compound
and Jim Boyd simply told his company commander he wasn't going.
He had spent only one day as a prisoner of war when he and six others escaped into the jungle. For 1,027 days, nearly three years, Boyd lived in the jungle, traveling on and off with a band of Filipino guerrilla fighters. He survived by foraging and using almost anything that walked, swam, or flew as food.
The
Boyds had three children, two sons, Patrick and Casey and one daughter,
Becky. He was a member of the Sun sweet Prune Growers
Association for 14 years and served as President of the Santa Clara
County Memorial Veterans District for 21 years. He was also
a life member of American Legion Post 669, Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Disabled American Veterans, and American Defenders of Bataan
Corregidor, as well as being a member of the Gilroy Elks Lodge.
James
Boyd's endeavors during World War II were again recognized on Veteran's
Day in 1988 when he received a Prisoner of War medal. On
May 21, 1990 at a ceremony held at Ford Ord Jim Boyd was inducted into
the Army Ordnance Hall of Fame, the only enlisted man admitted
that year. He was recognized for his achievements as a tank and
artillery specialist and his efforts while fighting underground
in the jungles with the guerrillas. James Patrick Boyd passed
away in Gilroy on June 29, 1991.
As we
observe the 50th anniversary of World War II and honor those who served
in Europe and the Pacific as well as here at home, let us
remember also those Gilroyans whose contributions, both great and
small, have kept us free.
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