Otis Saalman of Branchville, Indiana, the son of Emmett Saalman and Christian Saalman's great-grandson, made his career with the US Army. He retired after World War II with the rank of Major after having served in the Philippine Islands.

In December, 1941 the Japanese Army invaded the Philippines the day after their attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At the time, Otis was a Captain on General MacArthur's  staff, stationed in the Philippine capitol at Manila. The American garrison on the islands was greatly outnumbered, and cut off from all supplies and reinforcements, due to the loses on the American fleet.

Otis was quickly assigned as an Infantry Company Commander where he, along with the rest of the American and Filipino forces, resisted the Japanese invasion for six months. They inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese, and forced them to delay their plans for extending their conquests in the Pacific. This delay was fatal to the Japanese battle plan because America was able to recover from the initial Japanese attack, convert industries to mass production of war materials and recruit and train overwhelming forces.

In the Philippines the Americans were gradually forced to retreat down the Bataan Peninsula until, trapped, they were finally compelled to surrender. Otis became a prisoner of the Japanese. The Japanese General whose plans had been frustrated for so long determined to punish his prisoners for their stubborn resistance. He forced the sick and starving survivors to march the length of the Bataan Peninsula to the distant prison camps he had established, in tropical heat. No food, water or shelter was provided, no rest was permitted, and any prisoner who could not keep up on the march was bayoneted or shot to death. This forced journey was known as the notorious Bataan Death March. Of the thousands of Americans who started the march, only a third were alive at the end. But some prisoners were able to escape, including Otis and a companion.

They headed back to the fortress island of Corregidor  in Manila Bay, the only part of the Phillipines still under American control. Otis and his friend swam the shark and mine infested bay to reach the island. They found the Corregidor garrison completely surrounded, suffering from numerous tropical diseases, and virtually out of food, medical supplies and ammunition. (Several accounts exist that detail Marine Corp actions in WWII with references to Otis; e.g., one at the ibiblio.org conservancy  and another hosted by the National Park Service .)

Otis was again assigned to command an infantry unit in the defense of the island, and they repulsed several Japanese attacks until their ammunition was exhausted. Subjected to a constant and intense artillery bombardment for weeks, the garrison was finally forced to surrender in June, 1942 when a Japanese attack overwhelmed the island.

For his bravery in combat at both Bataan and Corregidor, Otis was awarded two Silver Star medals, the third highest military decoration given to members of the United States Armed Forces.

Otis was recaptured, and spent more than three years in Japanese prison camps in the Philippines, Formosa, Korea and Manchuria. Three days before the American invasion which liberated the Philippines, his captors loaded him onto a prison ship for transportation to Formosa. The unmarked ship was attacked and bombed twice by American warplanes, hit both times and nearly sunk.

He was finally freed at the end of the war when Russian soldiers overran the Japanese prison camp in Manchuria where he was being held. When liberated in August, 1945 Otis weighed only 92 pounds. His release came none too early; he was suffering from a nearly fatal case of dysentery. His conduct as a prisoner earned Otis the Distinguished Service Cross.

Upon his return to the United States, Otis was re-assigned to military bases in Texas and taught military science and tactics. After five years of this, health problems arising from his ordeal in captivity forced him to leave the military, but did not slow him down. He finished two university degrees and became involved in community and political life as well as teaching in local schools. Read this Tell City News article, dated 17 Jan 1958,  obtained from Marion Saalman, for additional details of Otis' life.

In retirement Otis gave a lot of attention to Christian Saalman's grave. He saved Christian's pipe for the Andersonville National Prisoner of War Museum, which he supported as a memorial to American prisoners-of-war from all wars. He also got the federal government to replace Christian's original grave marker, which misspelled his name as "Soilman", with one that did spell it correctly.

In 1986 and 1987, Otis sold two portions of his farm, originally purchased by Christian's son and Otis' grandfather Columbus, to The Indiana Nature Conservancy in order to protect the unique flora found there. These 100 acres are now called Saalman Hollow, an exceptional, Indiana State Nature Preserve.

Otis died on May 24th, 1989, just three years before Howard and Todd Saalman found their Indiana cousins and all this became known to them.