Bataan Death March Anniversary

[nhboy]

Link to original article.

"The day after the surrender of the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, the 75,000 Filipino and American troops captured on the Bataan Peninsula begin a forced march to a prison camp near Cabanatuan.

During this infamous trek, known as the "Bataan Death March," the prisoners were forced to march 85 miles in six days, with only one meal of rice during the entire journey.

By the end of the march, which was punctuated with atrocities committed by the Japanese guards, hundreds of Americans and many more Filipinos had died."

 

[SamSpade]

Link to original article.

"The day after the surrender of the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, the 75,000 Filipino and American troops captured on the Bataan Peninsula begin a forced march to a prison camp near Cabanatuan.

During this infamous trek, known as the "Bataan Death March," the prisoners were forced to march 85 miles in six days, with only one meal of rice during the entire journey.

By the end of the march, which was punctuated with atrocities committed by the Japanese guards, hundreds of Americans and many more Filipinos had died."

My grandfather was a survivor of this march - and a seriously shocking number of other atrocities. He was on one of Japan's famous hellships (Oryoku Maru) that were attacked by U.S. planes - and he was one of two that survived. On on of his trips, he was in a boat with Japanese guards that was strafed by U.S. planes, and the bullets killed one guard on one side, and removed the head of the other - with him IN BETWEEN.

He was in a camp where he was able to see the Nagasaki cloud when it happened. Although he wasn't in the camp when it happened - he had been in the camp that "The Great Raid" was about.

When he returned from the war, his 6 foot frame weighed only 98 pounds.

To me, he was one hell of a hero.