POW/MIA Memorial - Opelousas, LA
N 30° 32.583 W 092° 04.700
15R E 588406 N 3379323
Located in front of the St. Landry Catholic Church. Features 3 flagpoles. Also features a monument to local WWII POW/MIA priest, Lt. Fr. Joseph Verbis Lafleur.
Waymark Code: WM6GFN
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 05/31/2009
Views: 8
Poles are sunken into the dedicated base. Dedicated to all POW/MIA soldiers. Located on the St. Landry Catholioc Church grounds. Also featured is a monument /memorial to local priest, Lt. Fr. Joseph Verbis Lafleur, who, during WWII was on a Japenese POW vessel Shinyo Maru, on September 7, 1944. Most P.O.W. ships were nothing more than old freighter ships used by the Japanese to transport men to and from various prisoner of war camps. The ship which Father Lafleur perished on was not flying the P.O.W. flag and was mistakenly torpedoed by the U.S.S. Paddle. Already severely weakened by malnutrition, dehydration, and heat exhaustion as well as many of the men being wounded, few were able to attempt to escape the hull of the sinking and burning ship. It was here that Father Lafleur, “Padre”, led his men in prayer, blessed them, and began pushing men up through the one escape hatch to the deck and to possible safety.
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