Battle of Bataan and Bataan Death March

 The Battle of Bataan was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. In January 1942, forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded Luzon along with several islands in the Philippine Archipelago after the bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.

No one knows the exact number of deaths that occurred during the Battle of Bataan, however, approximately 10,000 men died. Of these men, were 1,000 Americans and 9,000 were Filipinos. These people that risked their lives are the pride of our nation. They defended our beloved country with their blood and lives. If these people were still alive, although some are, I will thank them. For they made a huge impact on our history. The pain that they had gone through is unbearable. The Japanese brutalized them during the march north. They beat them incessantly, sometimes to move them along, sometimes just for sport. Many of the prisoners/soldiers 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. Men who could not rise the next morning to continue were often buried alive or beaten to death with the shovels of the ditch diggers, other prisoners who were forced to carve out graves along the way.

The Battle of Bataan and the Bataan Death March is one of the most excruciating stories that happened during the World War II. While justice after the war remains a controversial issue, it is important to acknowledge the people who served and sacrificed their lives during the World War II.

Reference/s:

(n.d.). Retrieved from Britannica: https://cdn.britannica.com/67/205467-050-FC6055C1/Americans-Japanese-guard-Bataan-Death-March-1942.jpg