Frank Eugene Fries was born on October 8, 1906, in New Mexico. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1929. He served as the commanding officer of the 803rd Engineer Aviation Battalion, stationed at Fort Stotsenburg (Clark Field) on Luzon, Philippines, during World War II.

Captured and held as a POW after the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, he endured the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment in multiple POW camps. In December 1944, he was first transported aboard the Ōryoku Maru, which was sunk by U.S. aircraft in December 1944. Surviving prisoners were then moved to the Enoura Maru and Brazil Maru, which carried them to Takao, Formosa. After the Enoura Maru was bombed in the harbor, surviving POWs continued the journey to Japan aboard the Brazil Maru, arriving in late January 1945.

Maj. Fries passed away on January 30, 1945, at Camp Moji (Fukuoka POW Camp #4 – Hospital) on Kyushu Island. He is now buried in the Yokohama War Cemetery, Yokohama, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Japan.

Source of information: findagrave