Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: HIKE (07/07/22)
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TITLE: The Bataan Death March | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dale Buchanan
07/13/22 -
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Those that fell or were too sick to walk were either drug to the side or shot. The still marching captives had to step over the bodies of the fallen and keep on going.
Their dreams and hopes for the future were being destroyed. Tears streamed down their cheeks as they thought of their wife, fiancée, or other loved ones they might never see again.
This horrifying event began when the American forces surrendered to Japan on April 9, 1942, following the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines. The Japanese victors now had many more prisoners than expected. They did not have sufficient mechanized transport for the wounded, sick, and weakened masses. They decided to make the prisoners hike to the destination.
Sixty thousand military prisoners plus about 38,000 civilians made the forced march. The journey included a 60-mile hike from Bagac and Marveles, Bataan to San Fernando. Then they traveled by train to Capas, followed by another walk of about nine miles to Camp O'Donnell.
Although there were some rare instances of kindness by the Japanese captors to their prisoners, most of the entire march demonstrated their brutality.
Atrocities became commonplace. Japanese soldiers knocked out men's teeth for the gold fillings. Prisoners received very little food or water. Many died. The victors executed about 350 to 400 Filipino officers and NCOs who had already surrendered.
The cruel soldiers beat and tortured their captives. The Japanese inflicted torture called the "sun treatment" on many. Prisoners sat in the direct sunlight with no head coverings. Some prisoners had to strip naked and sit within sight of fresh, cool water. If anyone asked for water, they were shot dead.
"Clean-up" crews put to death those who were too weak to continue. Trucks and tanks drove over those who died. The cold-blooded soldiers randomly stabbed prisoners with bayonets.
When they arrived at Balanga, many were sick with dysentery or other diseases. US medical personnel treated the sick and wounded with the few available supplies. The Japanese provided no medical help.
When they arrived at San Fernando, soldiers squashed the prisoners into scorching, brutally hot metal box cars to ride to Capas in 110-degree heat. Each unventilated boxcar held about 100 prisoners. The boxcars were so crowded no one could sit down. Those who passed out remained in a standing position. With no sanitation, disease ran rampant.
When they arrived at Capas, they had to walk the final nine miles. Of the estimated 80,000 POWs in the march, approximately 54,000 made it to Camp O'Donnell.
The march survivors continued to die at the rate of hundreds per day. Surviving prisoners dug mass graves and buried the dead behind the compound's barbed wire.
The survivors then proceeded to Japanese death camps, brutal labor, and many other indignities for another three and one-half years. Many became slave laborers for Japanese companies. Finally, they obtained freedom when Japan surrendered on board the battleship USS Missouri on September 5, 1945.
After the war, a US military commission conducted a trial for war crimes. They tried and convicted the Japanese military leaders responsible for the Bataan March. In 1946 and 1949, the US military executed those sentenced.
The Bataan Death March is the second most consequential event of World War II after Pearl Harbor. The American and Filipino forces held out for three months before being forced to surrender. Although the surrender was a military defeat, the stubborn defense by the American and Filipino troops demonstrated that the Japanese armed forces were not invincible.
A 2017 Fox News article about the 27th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico estimated that less than 50 march survivors were still living. This annual memorial and other observances continue each year to be constant reminders of the sacrifices made by these heroes.
The march and these brave soldiers are a powerful reminder of the cost of freedom. Freedom is not free. Americans must step up and defend liberty against external and internal enemies. Be vigilant. Be aware of history and current events. Stand firm against the forces of Leftism and Communism that seek to divide and destroy our nation. These Bataan soldiers are a challenging example for us today. They gave their all.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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