Godfrey Roland “Roly” Ames was born on May 4, 1912, in Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California. He was the son of Ernest O.F. Ames. He was married to Katherine Gasper. He graduated from Galileo High School in San Francisco in 1930 before attending the University of California, Berkeley, for a year. In 1932, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the Presidio of San Francisco and was assigned to Battery A, 6th Coast Artillery, later attending the West Point Preparatory School at Fort Scott. While stationed at Fort Scott, he rescued a boy from drowning in the dangerous waters of San Francisco Bay on April 2, 1933, an act of heroism for which he was later awarded the Silver Life Saving Medal by act of Congress. His courage and dedication led to a Presidential appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, where he entered in July 1933 and graduated in 1937. He chose the Coast Artillery as his branch, continuing the service he began in the Harbor Defenses of San Francisco, and was first assigned to Fortress Monroe, Virginia. He accepted an overseas assignment in the Philippines with the 60th Coast Artillery Regiment at Fort Mills on Corregidor, sailing from San Francisco in April 1939 aboard the U.S. Grant and arriving in Manila that June.

Promoted to captain in September 1940, Roly took command of Battery C on Morrison Hill, an anti-aircraft battery armed with four 3-inch guns overlooking Bataan. Though his tour was set to end in June 1941, he chose to extend it for six more months. After the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, Japanese heavy artillery began bombarding Corregidor continuously, with Cpt Ames recording “Air Raid 300” on May 5. Despite the relentless attacks, Ames meticulously organized defensive positions across Morrison Hill, drilling his men under fire to ensure everyone knew their assigned foxhole when the order came to defend. The garrison’s surrender on May 6 denied them the chance to fight their final stand. Following the surrender of Corregidor, over 13,000 American and Filipino troops, including Cpt Ames, became prisoners of war. On May 23, he was among about 1,000 men transported to Manila, where they waded ashore at Parañaque Beach and were marched to Bilibid Prison, sleeping in the old execution chamber. Days later, they were taken by train to Cabanatuan Camp No. 1. In December 1944, he was placed aboard the Oryoku Maru en route to Japan. The ship was bombed and sunk by American aircraft at Subic Bay on December 15, 1944. Cpt Ames survived the sinking and was transferred to Enoura Maru, but later died from his wounds on January 31, 1945.

Cpt Ames is now buried in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, Orange County, New York, USA.

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