Beyond the loom of the last lone star through open darkness hurled;
Further than rebel comet dared or living star-swarm swirled,
Sits he with such as praise our God for they have served his world.

—Kipling

Born in Burnet, Texas, March 12, 1905, Martin Moses was the third son and the fifth of seven children born to Dayton and Daisy Fisher Moses. He is survived by his widow, nee Alice Evaline Ferrel, of Lawton, Okla., whom he married May 31, 1930; also one daughter and two sons; Janet, 15; John Ferrel, 11; and Martin, Jr., 5.

Martin’s parents were of pioneer Texas stock, his paternal grandfather, Norton Moses, coming to Texas from Georgia in 1848, and his maternal great-grandfather, Samuel Rhoads Fisher, coming from Pennsylvania in 1830, while Texas was part of Mexico. Mr. Fisher was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico, and was Secretary of the Texas Navy in the first cabinet of President Sam Houston. Martin’s grandfathers served the Confederacy. Dayton Moses was a well-known criminal lawyer.

Martin’s two older brothers, Harry and Tad, were officers in the Army in World War I. He had innumerable other relatives who served in the Armed Forces, including Major General Andrew Moses, West Point Class of 1897, who retired in 1938 as Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department.

Attending school first at Burnet, Martin moved to Fort Worth, Texas, with his parents in 1919, and in 1923 was graduated from Central (now Paschal) High School. Having received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy from the late Morris Sheppard, senior Senator from Texas, Martin left almost immediately for West Point.

Assignments in the Army for Martin prior to going to the Philippines in 1938 with the 57th Infantry, were: 38th Infantry, Fort Sill, Okla., 1927-’31; Brooks Field, San Antonio, Texas, part of 1930; 35th Infantry Hawaiian Islands, 1931-’33; Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga., 1934, and Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, 1934-’38.

Mrs. Martin Moses and their two older children were evacuated with other Army families from the Philippines, May 14, 1941, on the U.S.A.T. Washington. Martin Moses, Jr. was born shortly after Mrs. Moses returned to the States.

When the Japanese struck the Philippines, December 8, 1941, Martin was Commanding Officer of the 12th Infantry, P.A., part of the 11th P.A. Division under the command of Brigadier General William E. Brougher, U.S.A. This division was the first unit of the Philippine Army to encounter the enemy.

For his activities early in the Philippine invasion, Martin was awarded the Legion of Merit posthumously, the citation reading:

“For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service on Luzon, Philippine Islands, from 8 December 1941 to March 1942. Colonel Moses was responsible for the skillful and intensive training of cadres of the 11th Division upon the mobilization of the Philippine Army. Subsequently as Commanding Officer, 12th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Army, he led his forces with superior technical ability in providing strong resistance to the initial major landings of the Japanese invaders in Lingayan Gulf. He then commanded his regiment in a brilliant delaying action during the withdrawal to the south, and later held a flank beach defense position in Bataan Peninsula. Deploying his troops along the important front of the Philippine Corps, he dealt the enemy many destructive blows in the bitter struggle against overwhelming odds. Through his leadership, aggressive fighting tactics, and sound knowledge of infantry tactics, Colonel Moses made a notable contribution to the heroic defense of the Philippine Islands”. (G.O. 263, Hq. U.S.A.F. Pac., 22 Jul 46.)

The Distinguished Service Cross was recommended for Martin by General Brougher in General Order No. 7, Hq. 11th Division, P.A., Jan. 9, 1942. This recommendation was approved April 13, 1946. General Brougher’s citation read:

“For extraordinary heroism against the enemy without the least regard for his own personal safety and for courage, energy and efficiency of the very highest order as Commander of the 12th Infantry, P.A., at San Juan, La Union, on December 21, 1941; at Guagua and Lubac, Pampanga. January 4, 1942; and at other times and places too numerous to mention but all occurring during the period December 8, 1941, to January 5, 1942, his regiment being almost continuously in contact with the enemy under fire from ground and air, Major Martin Moses, Infantry, U.S.A., is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In one critical situation after another attended by dangers and difficulties of inconceivable magnitude, his Regiment progressively and completely disintegrating in action, Major Moses carried on with courage and fortitude that were an inspiration to both subordinates and superiors alike.”

On the bottom of the citation as issued by General Brougher, Martin wrote the following note in pencil to his father. Jan. 18, 1942:

“Dear Dad:

“Hope this gets through to you. Please pass it on to Bill (Martin’s nickname for his wife). Can’t write you anything about the war, but we will win eventually. Am O.K. and hope all of you are the same. I was promoted to Lt. Col. on December 19, 1941.

“To Hell with Hitler and the Japs. Love.”

(Signed) “Mart”

This note evidently came out by submarine or air as it was delivered to Dayton Moses early in 1942. It was the last direct communication received from him by his family.

General Brougher recorded in verse in “The Long Dark Road” the history of the American prisoners and their reactions to experiences of prison life. This booklet was dedicated “to my comrades who were prisoners of war in the hands of the Japanese; particularly to the memory of Colonels Moses, Noble and Moran, martyred comrades of the 11th Division who were executed by the Japanese”.

Martin’s activities after the surrender of Bataan, quoted in the following paragraphs, are taken from “General Wainwright’s Story”, pages 30-31:

“The senior American officers with the 13th and 12th Infantry regiments, Lieutenant Colonels Moses and Noble, and Major Joe Ganahl, were three of the finest combat officers in my command. Ganahl, a spirited Texan, fought as few men have ever fought until the fall of Bataan. And then when he must have seen with haggard eyes the faint ray of liberation he met his death near the end of the war when a Navy submarine torpedoed a Jap prison ship filled with our men.

“Only God knows what happened to Noble and Moses ... brave men.

“They took to the mountains at the surrender of Bataan, enraged by the fact that the Jap forces which were bearing down on their headquarters, to take over in accordance with the surrender, fired upon them.

“Japs thereafter paid dearly for this breach of the rules of war. After nine days of great hardship Moses and Noble reached Pampanga. At tremendous risk they then worked their way across the Central Plain during the summer of 1942 and reached the mountain province that autumn. There they set about the job of organizing guerrillas and stimulating such guerrilla bands as were already in action.

“They launched vigorous offensives through the mountainous regions that fall and winter, killing many Japs. The Japs took their terrible type of revenge on the innocent Filipino residents of certain villages near the scenes of the guerrillas’ operations.

“The Japs set out to get them with great determination early in March 1943. Moses, Noble, and their men moved south to Kalinga, from which point a Jap outfit pursued them for fifty-two days into Apayao and back to Kalinga.

“They reached the end of their courageous resistance on June 3, 1943, when an overwhelming Jap force, tipped off by a Filipino cook the Japs had captured and tortured, captured Moses, Noble, and many of their men. Moses and Noble were beaten then and there and all their property, including their West Point rings, was taken from them.

“A Jap captain named Hirano later formally apologized to them for this treatment and returned some of their belongings. They were moved to Bontoc, thence to Camp John Hay, then to Baguio’s M.P. jail—where they were starved—and finally were transferred to Bilibid Prison in Manila. The Japs raised their hopes of fair treatment by questioning them almost politely. But on September 30, 1943, they were led handcuffed from Bilibid, and these wonderful officers who had fought to the limit were never heard of again.”

Martin’s family is in possession of the following authentic information (The source of the information is purposely omitted here):

... Lt. Col. Martin Moses, of the Headquarters Philippine Department, a guerrilla leader in the northern provinces, was arrested by the Japanese in May or June, 1943, and brought to Fort Santiago. Moses was tried in old Bilibid prison with Lt. Col. Noble (U.S.A.), Lt. Col. Hugh Strong (U.S.A.) and Colonel Nakarr (P.A.) by secret court martial in late October 1943. These officers and about 21 enlisted men were executed in the North Cemetery in early November, two or three days after the court martial ... it was in the first few days of November, probably the first or second before a firing squad.”

Official declaration by the War Department of Martin’s death was based upon this and similar reports.

—Tad Moses, Brother of Martin Moses