Walter William Colpitts, II born 22 Feb 1916 at New York City to Charles and Grace Colpitts.

Class of 1934 Teaneck High School, New Jersey.

Class of 1938 Rutgers University; Delta Kappa Epsilon and ROTC.

W. W. Colpitts enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in July 1939 in the Army Air Corps, graduating with Class 40-A on 23 March 1940 with pilot "wings" at Kelly Field, Texas; and was subsequently sent to the Philippine Islands in November 1940.

He was a 1st Lieutenant pilot who was in charge of aircraft movement at Nichols Field near Manila on Luzon Island; the 27th Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, Far East Air Force (FEAF). When the Japanese conquered the islands in the Spring of 1942, Lt. Colpitts became a P.O.W.

After being held at Cabanatuan for two and a half years, Colpitts was among some 1800 prisoners loaded on the Arisan Maru cargo ship for transport back to Japan as forced labor. This ship also held Sgt. Ernest H. Bridgman (ASN: 06709789) of Teaneck! The ship was sunk in the South China Sea by an American submarine which had no inkling that the ship held Allied POWs as it was not marked. His loss is memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Walter W Colpitts, II