"The Battle of Bataan: The Bataan Death March"

 

            The Battle of Bataan happened during the World War II, began on January 6, 1942 and ended on April 9, 1942 as the Bataan troops surrendered. After the Filipino and American Bataan troops surrendered to the Japanese troops, the Bataan Death March happened.  Most of the prisoners(Bataan troops) began the long walk in Mariveles, at the tip of Bataan, and had to march the full 66 miles to the rail head; others joined along the way. The Japanese brutalized their captives during the march north to the trains that would take them to a prison camp. They beat them incessantly, sometimes to move them along, sometimes just for sport. Many of the prisoners were battle worn and incapable of keeping up the grueling pace of the march, especially in the tropical heat and with little water. Those who dropped from exhaustion or sickness, fell behind, broke ranks to fetch water, or tried to escape were bayoneted, shot, or beheaded.

 

            No one knows how many people died as a result of the march and subsequent detention. Approximately 500 Americans and 2,500 Filipino soldiers were killed along the path of the main march. Perhaps 26,000 Filipino soldiers and 1,500 Americans died of famine and sickness at Camp O'Donnell. Only roughly 15,000 of the 22,000 Americans captured by Japanese forces on the Bataan Peninsula returned to the United States, indicating a fatality rate of more than 30%.

  

            The Filipinos in Bataan as well as the Americans did fight for the democracy of our country as much as they can. The surrender doesn’t mean a whole defeat because after all, they tried to fight for the countries freedom, they dedicated their lives to free the country during World War II. Filipinos showed their nationalism or love for the country by fighting for the countries democracy.  Many Filipinos from the past fight and died for the democracy of this country, they sacrifice their lives to free the country from attacks and occupation of the conqueror countries. We are now living freely because of our past heroes, the Filipinos, so we need to use our freedom properly. Use our freedom for the betterment of the Philippines, be a responsible and wise Filipino, stop abusing the freedom that Filipinos from the past had fight and sacrifice for.

 

 

Reference:

Online and Image Source:

Norman, E. M. and Norman, Michael (2021, April 2). Bataan Death March. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Bataan-Death-March retrieved on March 12, 2022