Staff Sergeant Nicholas Chintis

Birth: May 26, 1917

Death: December 13, 2007

Nick Chintis was born on May 26, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois to Peter Chintis and Sophie Sarafin. He attended Hammond High School where he played basketball and football. He was scouted and recruited by two coaches in New Mexico, and he moved to Silver City where he enrolled in New Mexico State Teachers College, now Western New Mexico University. It was here that he “played basketball on the storied team that beat the Jackie Robinson lead UCLA Bruins in 1940.”[i] He married Winifred Watkins prior to his time in the Military.

Nick joined the National Guard at the outbreak of World War II. He trained in Fort Bliss, Texas, and was enlisted in the 515th Coastal Artillery Regiment. In 1941, Nick was deployed to the Philippines to defend Clark Field Air Base[ii] on Luzon during an impending Japanese invasion of the island. His regiment was pushed back to the Bataan peninsula where they forced to surrender to the Japanese.  Nick took part in the infamous Bataan Death March, a forced march from the Bataan peninsula to Camp O’Donnell, some 65 miles away. Throughout the course of the Bataan Death March, 7000-10000 Filipino and American soldiers were killed.[iii] Nick survived the march and remained a POW for three and a half years. After the war, Nick was one of the dozens of soldiers who provided testimony on behalf of the U.S. Government during Japanese war crime trials. His experience in the Bataan Death March, and as a prisoner of war, would affect him throughout his entire life. Nick was honorably discharged from the Army on April 6, 1946, as a staff sergeant.[iv]

After the war, Nick returned to Grant County where he became involved in education. In 1948 he was a junior high teacher in Bayard, New Mexico. From 1951-1953 he served as supervisor of Grant County Schools. After, he was worked in director level positions at Western New Mexico University including Director of Alumni, Placement, Financial Aids and Scholarships and admissions. Many recall him being responsible for recruiting many students to Western New Mexico University over the years. He also continued his own education after the war. He received a Bachelor’s of Science in Education, a Master’s of Science in Administration, and a Master’s of Science in Guidance and Counseling. In 1963 he married Jeanne Anderson, who he remained with until his death. In 1988 he was inducted into the Western New Mexico University Hall of Fame for his two All Conference years in 1939 and 1940. 

Nicholas Chintis died at age 90 on December 13, 2007, in Tucson Arizona. In his obituary, it is written that “He will be remembered by all as a generous, caring person who loved his family and friends and served his country and community with honor.”[v]

Images & Documents

Notes:

Compiled by Javier Marrufo, Western New Mexico University

Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Legacy Memorial, Find your Veteran

https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/NICHOLASCHINTIS/EE2366B

[i] “Nick Chintis Obituary .” Albuquerque Journal. December 24, 2007. 

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] “Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders: The United States Army.” Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders | The United States Army. Accessed September 20, 2023. https://www.army.mil/asianpacificamericans/bataandeathmarch.html. 

[iv] New Mexico, U.S., World War II Records, 1941-1945, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation Honorable Discharge. Nicholas Chintis § (n.d.). https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/100945:8867. 

[v] “Nick Chintis Obituary .” Albuquerque Journal. December 24, 2007.