Bataan Death March Memorial

During World War II, a joint force of 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans fought the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines to help stall the invasion of the archipelago and allow time for the American Pacific Naval Fleet to rebuild after heavy losses at Pearl Harbor. Despite shortages of food, water, and ammunition and total exhaustion, they fought gallantly, but their weakened force could not match the well-equipped Japanese Imperial Army, and on April 9, 1942, surrender became the only choice. This was followed by the Bataan Death March from Mariveles, Bataan, to San Fernando, Pampanga, a 65 mile route that lasted from 5 to 9 days, during which prisoners were tortured, shot where they fell, buried alive, or run over by passing trucks. The soldiers were then packed into train cars for Capas, Tarlac, on a punishing 24 mile ride where some died standing before arriving. Of the 78,000 men, only 54,000 reached Camp O'Donnel in Capas, Tarlac, where 20,000 Filipinos and 1,600 Americans died during the first four months of incarceration.

Golden Triangle, New Jersey · United States