Good Morning...Man's inhumanity to man

[Okla-homey]

April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March begins

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On this day 65 years ago, one the most dramatic and horrible chapters of American military history begins. 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.

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During this infamous trek, which became known for all time as the "Bataan Death March," already starved prisoners were forced to march 85 miles in six days amid tropical heat, with only one meal of rice during the entire journey.

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Filipino civilians along the route of march tried to sneak food and water to the marchers. Many were killed for their attempted kindness.

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.

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Men who couldn't go on were bayoneted, shot and in some cases ritually beheaded by Japanese officers

The death march had its roots the day after Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, with the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. Within a month of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the U.S. and Filipino defenders of Luzon were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula.

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Only brief rest stops were allowed. The Japanese guards were changed every three hours. The sick and hungry Filipino and American GI's were only afforded 5 minute breaks at approximately 2 hour intervals.

For the next three months, the combined U.S.-Filipino army, under the command of U.S. General Jonathan Wainwright, held out impressively despite a lack of naval and air support. Finally, on April 7, with his army crippled by starvation and disease, Wainwright began withdrawing as many troops as possible to the island fortress of Corregidor in Manila Bay.

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The prisoners had to carry their own wounded as long as they could. They knew if they didn't carry their comrades their death would come instantly

However, two days later, 75,000 Allied troops were trapped by the Japanese and forced to surrender. The next day, the Bataan Death March began. Of those who survived to reach the Japanese prison camp near Cabanatuan, few lived to celebrate U.S. General Douglas MacArthur's liberation of Luzon in 1945.

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The prisoners were repeatedly searched for absolutely anything of value and were denied anything that could be a source of comfort including family photos, letters and even bibles.

In the Philippines, homage is paid to the victims of the Bataan Death March every April on Bataan Day, a national holiday that sees large groups of Filipinos solemnly rewalking parts of the death route.

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Word of the Japanese cruelty and atrocities at Bataan spread quickly and fueled American resolve to destroy the Japanese Empire.

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Letter received by a "Death March" and POW survivor after his liberation at war's end.

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[Shneeg11]

Gah, it is crazy how some people are already waking up, and thanks to the great gift of insomnia....I am thinking about sleep...and by it being crazy, I meant I am

[Dio]

This thread reminds me of how ****ed off I get when some modern-day "Americans" want to protest on the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Because, you know, we started the war and all. :rolleyes:

[C&CDean]

I wonder what kind of outrage there'd be if Imus said "murdering japs." Heh.

[soonervegas]

Not to turn this into a political agrument, but is there any doubt we DO NOT have the resolve to stop something like this if it happens again? Or would this country step up if faced with a real threat?

[XingTheRubicon]

zipper headed japs

[Dio]

I wonder what kind of outrage there'd be if Imus said "murdering japs." Heh.


Well, the Little League World Series is coming up so we might get to find out.

[SicEmBaylor]

The Japs were meaner than hell. My grandfather was in a recon platoon in the 1st Cav Division in WWII and participated in something like half a dozen campaigns. He talked very little about the war until I got older and then he started telling me stuff. Those people were unbelievable. Most of it I already knew since I'm a WWII buff and read such things, but it really drives it home to have someone sit there and tell you anecdotal stories.

I had a history class a couple of years ago where we started discussing the justification for dropping the bomb on Japan. Most supported it, but many with the caveat that nobody knew that it would spark a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union. Those damned people were arming and training every man, woman, and child on their home islands with every type of weapon imaginable right down to privative shanks hidden under the floor boards. It would have been horrific if we had to invade.

I told them in class, "Not only were the two dropped justified but I would have dropped a 3rd one on the nips just to drive the point home except that would have wasted one that should have been dropped on Moscow instead."

They kind of looked at me in stunned silence and yes I used the term "nips."

[tommieharris91]

Not to turn this into a political agrument, but is there any doubt we DO NOT have the resolve to stop something like this if it happens again? Or would this country step up if faced with a real threat?

I think all we could do is bitch about it to the UN, get no help whatsoever, and be left on our own with underfunded, undermanned military resources. Thank you, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Congress.

[TUSooner]

That almost makes me want to kill some "Murdering Japs" today!

[soonersweetie]

Thanks for the history lesson. Why isn't this talked much about or taught in history class? I don't recall this being taught in high school or the college history classes I took. I remember Midway and Pearl Harbor and us dropping the bombs on them, but I don't remember this story.

Very interesting and very sad.

And I agree with you Sic'em, I would have dropped 3 too

[BajaOklahoma]

My great-grandmother sent all three of her sons off to serve in WW2. The eldest son actually made the Death March and survived. He would never talk about it to any of the family, but it totally changed him according to people who knew him before the War.
He would never eat outside. Or if there was a fly in the room, he would skip the meal. He also beleived that he could dig up gold bars in Arizona.
He was a tall, lanky kid before the War. The one picture I saw of him when he came home was of an unbelievably thin person.

[Rogue]

Ex-POWs are, to a man, the most amazing people I've known. I knew 2 guys who were in camp together in Japan. One was captured on Corrigedor and the only man I've heard of that survived the "zero ward" which was the expectant ward for terminally ill prisoners. Bataan survivors lived through **** that nobody should ever have to. Most were so reluctant to apply for any VA benefits unless they were convinced that it could help their wives/family.

The "Bushido Code" was at the root of some of this inhumanity. It was the belief that if you were captured or surrendered you were less than human and deserved to be treated as such. Also how they convinced the original suicide bombers, the Kamikaze, to crash themselves to death with honor.

The POWs in Europe didn't have any picnic, but since most were shot down and the Germans had a high regard for Luftwaffe types, they were mostly treated with a modicum of respect.

Great post Homey.

[Rogue]

My great-grandmother sent all three of her sons off to serve in WW2. The eldest son actually made the Death March and survived. He would never talk about it to any of the family, but it totally changed him according to people who knew him before the War.
He would never eat outside. Or if there was a fly in the room, he would skip the meal. He also beleived that he could dig up gold bars in Arizona.
He was a tall, lanky kid before the War. The one picture I saw of him when he came home was of an unbelievably thin person.


Strange deal and certainly anecdotal, but one of the Ex-POWs told me that the wiry guys had a much higher survival rate in prison camp.