Leo J. "Moose" Maselli, POW# 1262

Sent in by his daughter, Maureen

Leo was born in San Jose, CA in 1921.  The home he grew up in was on North 13^th Street.  His father, John, was an Italian immigrant, and his mother, Elizabeth was born in Peoria, Ill with a German & French heritage.  Leo had 4 siblings, George Maselli who is still living in Arkansas,  and the deceased Margaret Attwell of Maryland, Al Maselli of San Jose and James Maselli of Merced.  Leo is survived by daughter, Maureen, step-daughters Charen Campbell and Jan Soulages of Nevada, 9 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and numerous cousins and many dear friends.

 Leo went to schools in San Jose and graduated from San Jose Technical High in June of 1939, majoring in automotive repair.

 On October 19, 1939 – Leo joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and went to boot camp in San Diego.  He then had guard duty at North Island Naval Base.  It was during this time Leo received the nickname of Moose, not because of his size, but believe it or not, after Mussolini, the then current Italian Dictator – since Leo was small, Italian and bossy – the named fit and stuck for the rest of his life. 

 Moose eventually volunteered to go to Shanghai, China.  It was then that he was assigned to Co. E, 2^nd Battalion, 4^th Marines, doing guard duty in the American sector of Shanghai.

 Moose often told stories (some that cannot be retold here! J) about Shanghai being the Service Man’s dream.  He told tales coming from what was thought to be the longest service man’s bar in the Fourth Marine’s Club on Bubblingwell Road.

 Early in November, 1941, they got the word to pack up, that they were evacuating to Shanghai the next day.   Sure enough, the next day, there was the President Harrison Transport docked at the Port of Shanghai.  They boarded it not knowing where they would be going.  While on the high seas, they were told that they were going to Subic Bay (a submarine base) in the Philippines – that the Philippines needed help.  They were at Subic Bay for 2 days before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Subic Bay. 

 Following are Moose’s words, written in 1991:  “Boy did we dig fox holes in a hurry.  Oh yes, we did get two nights liberty until 12am curfew in the town of Alongapoo.  We bought some Ginebra gin (Philippine gin) in town and did we have a hang over the next day.  Before we left Subic Bay to head for the Mavalis Hills, we blew up all of our personal property (souvenirs that we had been collecting for the past two years).  From there on a dark night, I think it was Christmas Eve, we drove in trucks with no lights (guess why?).  We finally came to a small town where there were some boats at a dock.  The night had an overcast sky and no moon, so we sailed the three miles from Bataan Peninsula to the Island of Corregidor.  The Fourth Marines took up the defense on all the shores around Corregidor, the island being three miles wide and eight miles long.

 As you all know, we caught a lot of hell from the Japs, shelling and bombing each day (it was during this time that Moose was wounded and eventually received the Purple Heart Award).  When Bataan surrendered on April 9^th, we really got it from the Japs on all sides of the Island, until we got the word from General Wainright to destroy all our weapons and tie white handkerchiefs on our left arms and surrender. 

 We were all taken to the 92^nd garage, then boarded a Jap freighter that took us to Manila, that was after the Japs had us haul all the food that was stored in the Malinda Tunnel (for General McArthur, whom they called Dug-out Doug, and his high-ranking boys) and put it on Jap freighters.  From the time we landed in the Philippines until the surrender, we were on two meals a day to save food.  Do you think that made sense? 

 The Japs marched us down Dewey Blvd in downtown Manila so all the Filipino’s could see us American Prisoners.  We then got in small box cars and jammed in like sardines, and were taken to Cabanatuan Prison Camp.  About 3 months later, again in box cars, we were taken to Hoten (Mukden) Manchuria, from 100 degree heat in the Philippines to 20 degrees in Manchuria.  I worked in the MKA factory.  Being a mechanic, I was one of a group that worked on the Jap charcoal burning trucks; they didn’t have gasoline.  We got the trucks in pretty good shape, thinking that they were going to haul the American POWs to and from the barracks to the factory which was five miles away.  Guess what?  The damn Japs took the trucks away (and they were forced to walk to and from the factory each day).  So I then worked in the factory as a machinist.  I was one of those sixty “dommy” (no good in Japanese) Americans that were always screwing up the machines, so we were shipped off to the lead mines in Japan the last 18 months of the war.  This was real hell working in the lead mines with no overhead shoring up for safety purposes.  I guess we were just lucky that we didn’t have any cave-ins.

 Well the Japs finally surrendered and we headed for Yokohama by train, where the Yanks and tanks greeted us.  We got deloused and a clean pair of Navy dungarees; the American’s didn’t have any Marine uniforms.  We then boarded a President Line’s ship and set off for Guam for two weeks for a health checkup and to try to fatten us up before we hit the States (Moose was 92 lbs when he was liberated!) where we docked at a pier in San Francisco, CA.  All of our families were on the pier to greet us.  A lot of tears flowed that day.  We boarded busses that took us to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland where we had open liberty for a few months.  In March, 1946, I was transferred to Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo for discharge.  I settled down in my home town of San Jose and went to work as a civilian auto mechanic at Moffett Field Naval Air Station in Mountain View.

 In 1953, while on a vacation traveling through Texas, I read in the Dallas Times that there was going to be a National Convention of American Ex-POWs in Oklahoma City, OK.  You guessed it, my first wife & I headed there for the convention. 

 This was the first time I had heard of the AXPOW, Inc.  We joined the organization there, and that’s where I got my start getting active in the organization.  On my return home, I contacted Don Hart and we started the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the AXPOW, Inc.  I was Chapter Commander in 1955-56, California State Department Commander in 1957-58 and in Tacoma, Washington, I was elected National Commander in 1958-‘59.” 

 In 1961, by now known as “The Efficiency Expert” (Moose regularly annoyed Maureen & Helen reminding them of that) Moose transferred to the newly built Naval Air Station in Lemore, CA – and married his wife Helen, nearly all in one motion.  In 1964, Maureen was born, after Moose was pronounced ‘sterile from the war’.  He often enjoyed telling about going back with Maureen as a young girl to the doctor that gave him that pronouncement and quoting the doctor saying “Well, you can’t deny her – I guess I was wrong!”

 Moose, Helen & Maureen moved back to San Jose in 1970.  The family became heavily active in the South Valley Family YMCA, Y’s Men’s and Y’s Menettes’ clubs for 30 years.  They also continued to work tirelessly with the AXPOW and local vets, trying to help them receive the benefits they were entitled to.

 Moose was famous for a new Chrysler every 4 years his entire life and in the neighborhood for fixing all kids’ bicycles.  Their home was always open first to neighborhood parties, and then later they welcomed numerous YMCA & church teens and their parties – oftentimes with the kids staying until dawn, sitting around the living room, laughing, playing guitars and singing.  Moose & Helen never once complained.

 Maureen gave Moose & Helen 3 grandchildren, Chelsea, Spencer (whom he used to refer to as “Little Moose”) and Trevor.  Helen passed on in 2000, and Moose continued to live with the fighting spirit that got him through 3 ½ years of Japanese Prison Camp (where they were called “Guests of the Emperor” – not prisoners).  Moose was well known at all 3 local VA Hospital facilities, jetting around on his scooter from department to department – often bringing flowers and/or candy to the nurses.  He often quipped that he was the VA’s official guinea pig because he had so many service-connected disabilities he was a good specimen for their studies and experiments.

 His long battle with numerous ailments finally came to a close – and he truly fought to the end.  Independent, stubborn and courageous sum up the man, who often was known for the quick reply “Never Fear, Moose is Here”.

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