Posted on 04/09/2009 8:06:15 AM PDT by VR-21
On 9 April 1942 American and Filipino forces capitulated on the Bataan penninsula. It was the largest capitulation of forces in our country's history. Sick and starved after a little over four months fighting the Japanese army, the men of Bataan endured an atrocity that became known as the Bataan Death March. They then endured a terrible captivity for the remainder of the war. During the months of fighting, the men of Bataan believed that help was on the way, but they eventually realized that there was none. The following song came about then, which expressed their bitter dissapointment;
We're the Battling Bastards of Bataan.
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces
And nobody gives a damn.
The men of Bataan paid a terrible price, and today I wish for them to be remembered.
bttt
It’s also the anniversay of the invasion of Norway and Denmark [1940], Lee’s surrender [1865], and the Mongol victory at Liegnitz [1241].
American Fell On This Date:
January 20th 2009
Also on this date in 1940, Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway.
Read Ghost Soldiers.
This is sad.
God bless those brave men.
I always post something on this date, and on May 6 to commemorate the dates when Bataan and Corregidor fell. I have a personal motive, as a 20 year old sergeant on Corregidor would later become my father. I grew up knowing several men who were PW’s at the hands of the Japanese, and as there is little mention of them nowdays and most of them are no longer with us I do this one thing to pay respect to them.
And those that survived the brutal march then faced the rest of the war in prisoner of war camps -— some in Manchuria (they with their tropical fighting clothes). It was horrific. These brave men ... these our best and brightest ... these are long remembered fighters. Thank you all who serve.
My father (60th Coastal Artillery AA on Corregidor) spent most of his captivity at Hoten Camp in Mukden, Manchuria.
The men of Bataan are being remembered here today.
Thank you for this post.
When his crew on the plane heard about my dad's brothers, they named their plane the "Chalk up" in memory of them. Their last name was Chalk. That plane was shot down on that mission and all the men on it were killed. Had they not pulled my dad off, he would have been killed too.
My mom's brother was also killed in the Bataan Death March. He is buried in the national cemetery in Manilla, PI. Last year I "met" some missionairies on line who lived in the UK. They were going to Manilla to start another orphanage there. When I told them about my uncle, they went to the cemetery, found his grave, took pictures and got a wonderful packet from the office at the cemetery, and they sent that to me. I will share those pictures with you in honor of all the others who are buried at this cemetery. My uncle's name was Carl Stober and that's why there are pictures of his grave. New Mexico lost a lot of men in the Bataan Death March.
My grandmother’s brother, my great uncle John, also died on the Bataan Death March. He was starved to death. RIP.
Another FReeper told me about that book and I read it. It was difficult to read, knowing that my three uncles were some of the ones who were killed in the actual march, but it was a great story of the courage those men showed going in there to rescue them the way they did.
Salute to these good men.
Thank you for sharing your story and the photos.
Please accept my respect, gratitude and reverence for your lost relatives. It’s long frustrated me that so many of our countrymen do not really know their story. God rest them.
May God rest his soul. It was a horrible time for all of them. They were murdered, starved and left to die from all kinds of diseases. The Japanese were brutal to them.
In 1965, I believe, Imelda Marcos invited my scout Troop 351 BSA and Foreign Troop 1 Philippine Scouts to participate in the flag ceremony at the American Cemetery in Manila. We were standing just to the left of the space between the circular uprights in your picture.
I was leader and had several of our American scouts present in full uniform. We were graciously received by the wife of the President and Philippine hero Ferdinand Marcos. We had our backs to the opening and did not see the very low flying jets that streaked over us and scared us to death as they passed in salute. They were US Air Force from Clark Air Base.
Our Troop was composed of boys from the American School both American and not American. The non Americans were sons of diplomats or business men and were Foreign Troop 1. The Americans were a normal BSA troop, Phillippine District, Far East Council, Makati Rizal.
Thank you for sharing your story and the photos.
I'm glad I'm able to share the story of those brave men. I do hope there will be a day when I can thank them all for making the supreme sacrifice while serving in defense of America. May God rest their souls.
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