James Chester Blanning was born on November 14, 1908, in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Edwin Joseph Blanning and Lillie Keiper Blanning. He was the husband of Virginia Wing Blanning. He graduated from Lincoln High School, Class of 1927. He was appointed to West Point by Congressman T. W. Philips, and he graduated in 1931. Initially assigned to flight training at Randolph Field, Texas, Jim soon realized aviation wasn’t for him and transferred to the 7th Cavalry at Fort Clark, where he found his calling. A skilled horseman, he later attended the Cavalry Equitation School at Fort Riley, Kansas, and transferred to the Philippines in 1939.

Blanning served as a troop commander with the 26th Cavalry at Fort Stotsenburg from 1940 to 1941, training his men with outdated World War I equipment as war loomed in the Pacific. Shortly after, he was appointed to command the headquarters company of the newly established I Philippine Corps under General Wainwright. Amid the chaos of the Japanese invasion, he managed the complex administrative and logistical demands of organizing the Corps. During the fierce defense of Bataan, he displayed exceptional bravery and selflessness, continuing his duties under constant artillery fire and personally aiding others during a bombing.

After Bataan’s fall, he endured the Death March and years of captivity at PW Camp #1 in Cabanatuan, where he continued to protect and help fellow prisoners despite severe beatings and deprivation. In late 1944, he was among thousands of POWs shipped toward Japan on the infamous “Hell Ships.” He survived multiple bombings, rescuing others from sinking vessels and sharing scarce food and space, but ultimately died of starvation and exposure before reaching Japan on January 25, 1945. His body was buried at sea.

Maj Blanning's name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines. He also has a cenotaph in the Oak Park Cemetery, New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org