On April 9, 1942 over 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered the province of Bataan, Philippines to the Imperial Japanese Army. The Allied Forces, most of them Filipinos who joined the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), began a 60-mile death march to the San Fernando Railhead where they would be transported to Camp O'Donnell as POWs. With sweltering heat, little water, food, or aid, many soldiers suffered from malaria, dysentery, and starvation. Those who could no longer march were beaten, shot, and stabbed to death with bayonets. My grandfather was one of those soldiers. A Master Sergeant in the USAFFE, he was suffering from malaria. Still, he took on the role of a big brother to many of the younger soldiers. No longer able to march, the Imperial Japanese Army began beating him. A fellow soldier tried to help but was struck with a bayonet. My grandfather told the others it was okay and to keep moving. Reluctantly, they continued on. When they turned back, they witnessed a group of Imperial Japanese soldiers bayonet my grandfather to his death. He was a month shy of his 32nd birthday. Roughly 3,000 Allied soldiers died during the Bataan Death March and an estimated 20,000 more died at Camp O'Donnell while in captivity. As I reflect on my grandfather's sacrifice 77 years ago, I realize much of my fascination with WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War is based on a profound recognition of the hardships my family and many other families endured during these significant moments in history. . . . . 📷Getty Images #ww2 #wwii #bataandeathmarch #bataanmemorialdeathmarch #pacifictheaterofwar #usaffe #americanhistory #warhistory #wwiihistory #ww2history #vintagemilitary #vintagephotos #warphotography (at Mariveles, Bataan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwGejFXHU3o/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1d4z6fn0n9jn4
