Le Roy in McLean County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Bataan Death March
Philippine Islands
| | 1942 | |
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 21, 2025
1. Bataan Death March Marker
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II.
Location. 40° 20.84′ N, 88° 45.757′ W. Memorial is in Le Roy, Illinois, in McLean County. It is at the intersection of Walnut Street (U.S. 150) and Center Street, on the left when traveling south on Walnut Street. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 100 North Main Street, Le Roy IL 61752, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Central Illinois. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); The Grand Village of the Kickapoo Park (approx. 6.1 miles away); a different marker also named The Grand Village of the Kickapoo Park (approx. 6.1 miles away); Site of the Grand Village of the Kickapoo (approx. 6.2 miles away); Benjaminville Friends Meeting House (approx. 9.2 miles away); The Law and Lodging / Whiskey Mayhem (approx. 11.6 miles away); Bob McGraw Community Park (approx. 13.1 miles away); Sister City Memorial (approx. 13.2 miles away).
Regarding Bataan Death March. Some information about these Bataan survivors was found online. All four are believed
this page online
Dick Cooksley was born in Le Roy in 1920, enlisted in the Army in 1940 and was stationed in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After surviving three years of captivity, Cooksley attended flight school and later fought in the Korean War. After retiring from the Army in 1960, he built cabins for the Boy Scouts of America. He died in Arizona in 2014 at age 94.
Lewis Hazel was born in Le Roy in 1918 and attended Le Roy High School. He survived captivity and remained in the Air Force until 1960. According to his obituary, he was inducted into the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006. He died in Savannah, Georgia, in 2012.
Virgil Robertson was born in Le Roy in 1916. According to his draft card, submitted in 1940, prior to the war he worked for a local farmer named Orval Davis. Robertson died in Bloomington in 1991, four days before his 75th birthday.
Larry Starr grew up in Downs, which is a village west of Le Roy, and appears to have attended Le Roy High School. He was a master sergeant for the Marines during World War II. He died of a heart attack in San Diego in 1965 at age 46 and is buried there at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 21, 2025
2. Veterans Memorial
The Bataan marker is on the right side of this memorial.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, June 21, 2025
3. Veterans Memorial and Le Roy Wall of Honor
The Bataan marker is affixed to the veterans memorial on the left.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 23, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
