killed by the Japanese, others, including Father Lalor, were killed when the church / hospital was bombed during the Battle of Manila. It is not known whether the church was targeted or collateral damage. The graves of the Columban Fathers are located in a wall of the church, where a plaque commemorates their heroism. Several of them, including Father Lalor, were also posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom. Post-War assessment Utinsky's Medal of Freedom notwithstanding, much of her story is not verifiable in any way other than her own autobiography, which contains factual errors. Her heroism is also thrown into doubt by her declassified case file NO. C-54 in the National Archives, which contains the following handwritten notation by a United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (CIC) lieutenant dated December 17, 1945: Utinsky's actual testimony before the CIC in March 1945 consists of a very brief statement, supported by a couple of letters, one from Alfred C. Oliver, Jr. who was with the Chaplain Corps and survived the Cabanatuan POW camp, and another from Frank R. Loyd, Lt. Col., Infantry, U.S. Army, who managed to survive in the Philippine jungles during the war. Despite the credibility of these witnesses, the content of their letters does not substantively add to Utinsky's own story. She died in Lakewood, California, on August 30, 1970, and was buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park, in Gardena, California. Legacy In 1946, Utinsky was awarded the Medal of Freedom for her actions. Actress Connie Nielsen portrayed an idealized version of Utinsky in the 2005 film, The Great Raid, which is based on the 1945 raid to free POWs at Cabanatuan prison camp. Notes References Regis, Margaret. When Our Mothers Went to War: An Illustrated History of Women in World War II. Seattle: NavPublishing, LLC, 2008. Utinsky, Margaret. "Miss U." San Antonio, Texas: The Naylor Company, 1948 External links Learning From “Miss U” American humanitarians Women humanitarians World War II resistance members Recipients of the Medal of Freedom American expatriates in the Philippines 1900 births American prisoners of war in World War II 1970 deaths People from St. Louis American nurses American women nurses 20th-century American women