Tarkington was born on March 15, 1896, in
Oxford, North Carolina, to parents William Benjamin Tarkington and Mary S. Lougee. His siblings were sisters Esther, Mary, and brothers Ernestine and Woodrow. He attended
Citadel Military College in
Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated in 1918. Tarkington was commissioned a
second lieutenant of infantry in May 1918 and was promoted to
first lieutenant in September 1919.
World War II In November 1941, Tarkington was promoted to
lieutenant colonel. Tarkington's regiment was still waiting for artillery, so he shifted to infantry training. Their artillery—eight
3-inch gun M1918 and four
QF 2.95-inch mountain guns—went to the bottom of
Manila Bay when the sunk upon hitting a
naval mine. Full infantry training was in effect when a sudden order came to transfer his regiment to
Mindanao. His regiment was posted in Bugo,
Misamis Oriental, to defend Bugo Port north of
Cagayan de Oro.
Combat in Mindanao On May 6, 1942, the elite Kawamura Detachment of the
5th Division of the
Imperial Japanese Army landed on beaches south of
Macajalar Bay. Tarkington's regiment fought hard but was pushed back and had to retreat towards
Sayre Highway, afraid of being cutoff as the
81st Field Artillery under Lieutenant Colonel John Woodridge at their right was pushed back and had to retreat. This retreat also forced the
103rd Infantry Regiment under Major Joseph Webb to withdraw although his regiment made a successful attack on the beachhead that almost repelled the Japanese back to the sea. The 61st Field Artillery now posted in Mangima Grand Canyon in Tankulan,
Bukidnon. Tarkington's regiment fought hard in Tankulan as the Japanese made an intrusion during the night. His
executive officer was wounded at the end of the engagement. The regiment retreated to Puntian in
Somilao, Bukidnon, to mount another defensive line, but on May 11, 1942, Tarkington was visited by Colonel William F. Dalton, Somilao Sector Commander, and was ordered to surrender at daybreak.
Prisoner of war Tarkington assembled his regiment to
Camp Kasisang, Bukidnon, along with other units for formal surrender. All Americans were separated from Filipino soldiers, who were released in August 1942. Tarkington and other Americans officers in Mindanao were brought to
Cagayan to board a ship
Luzon. They were imprisoned in
Cabanatuan. Later, they were brought to
Subic Bay to board a ship, which was brought to
Manchuria (then the Japanese puppet state of
Manchukuo). Contemporary newspaper accounts also mention detainment in
Formosa, prior to Manchuria. liberated during the
Soviet invasion of Manchuria.
Later years By late 1946, Tarkington was senior instructor for the
Organized Reserve in Florida. He was promoted to
colonel in March 1948, and was named commander of the Florida military district in mid-1950. Tarkington retired from the Army in 1954. In 1955, he was appointed as director of
civil defense in Florida, a position he held until retiring in 1968.
Personal life Tarkington married Pauletta Anning of
Tacoma, Washington, in September 1919. They divorced in 1925. He later married Zella Maud Munro, As of 1968, they were living in
Jacksonville, Florida. At the time of his retirement, it was reported that the couple planned to move to
Ajijic, Mexico. Tarkington wrote an unpublished account of his experiences during World War II,
There Were Others, which can be found online. == Notes ==