Surrendering

 Bataan Death March-

    For this visit, we are going to Capas, Philippines in the Tarlac province. The Capas National Shrine can be found here. This is where Camp O'Donnell is located and was the destination for the Bataan Death March. After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded Luzon, Philippines in January 1942. The U.S. can in to help. However, due to the shortage of supplies, around 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers surrendered. There were simply no reinforcements. Japanese soldiers forced the prisoners of war (POW) to march about 65 or 66 miles without any water, food, and medical supplies in the tropical conditions. These prisoners were starved, beaten, and even beheaded. Those who survived the march later died at camp due to starvation and disease. Some of the most horrific war crimes committed by the Japanese happened throughout the march; an absolute tragedy. Only 54,000 prisoners reached camp and had to further endure the Japanese's treatment. After the war, Lietenant General Homma Masaharu commander of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines was held responsible for the war crime by the American military tribunal. He was executed on April 3, 1946. 

A little more information on this topic is that the U.S. did not know that this was happening until 10 Americans and 2 Filipinos escaped. Camp O'Donnell was actually a prison before the Japanese used it as a concentration camp. The 2 Filipinos helped the Americans navigate and survive throughout the terrain until they were able to find the U.S military and reported what is happening. 

Capas National Shrine: 




The Bataan Death March took place on April 9, 1942 and the march lasted 5-10 days depending on when a POS were to join the march. The shrine was built April 9, 2003 in remembrance of the soldiers that died in the concentration camp. It is to commemorate the heroism of Filipino veterans. Like being depicted in the photos, the shrine is large and is surrounded by a long structure listing all the names of the soldiers.
Here is an image of the March taken around the beginning of when it started: 

https://www.loc.gov/item/2001699980/

It was more personal to me to explore this topic because my family is from the Philippines. I never learned much about its history nor its role during WWII. I took this opportunity to learn more and this event was very heart wrenching.

Rescued: Here is a radio audio of the announcer listing all the rescued soldiers from Camp O'Donnell. 


To understand the conditions of what the prisoners of war were put through, here's an account from two veterans, Glen McDole and Malcolm Amos, through the Iowa PBS,

They talk about what they were fed, how they were treated, and what horrors they would see throughout the march. 
Location: Capas, Tarlac, Philippines

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