William O. Plate

Born August 21, 1920

POW survivor - Duty Station December 7, 1941 Wake Island

US POSSESSION OF WAKE ISLAND, 4 JUL 1898

Surprisingly, the US Army, not the US Navy, claimed possession of uninhabited Wake Island during the Spanish-American War. While enroute to the Philippines, BG Francis V. Greene presided over a formal flag-raising ceremony on the island. He sailed aboard the China, flagship of four transports convoying the second contingent of the US expedition to Manila, which departed San Francisco on 15 Jun 1898 for Honolulu. After a stopover there, the convoy left on 25 Jun, raising Wake Island nine days later on the morning of Independence Day. Greene led a landing party ashore to claim formal possession for the United States, then continued on his mission to the Philippines.

It remains unclear whether or not Greene had been instructed to claim Wake Island for the United States. No special orders or other authorization were uncovered, nor was any reference to the incident found in the official reports of Greene and the War Dept. Further research into his papers and War Dept's records seems necessary.

Picture taken at the Veteran Memorial Wall in Wasilla, Alaska