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On This Date (Feb 1, 1945) - Bataan Death March Survivors Rescued
Posted on 2/1/22 at 10:49 am
Posted on 2/1/22 at 10:49 am
Army Rangers rescue about 500 prisoners at Camp Cabanatuan in the Philippines, most of whom were survivors of the Death March. (Other survivors of the Death March had been sent to China and Japan in the "death ships" to work as slave laborers.) This rescue was dramatized in the 2005 movie, The Great Raid, which was based upon the book, Ghost Soldiers.
Somewhat personal, I knew two of the survivors. Five young men from Bogalusa endured the march. One died on the march, but the other four survived the war:
I had a long discussion with Dr. Daniel about his captivity and rescue a few days before I left for the Air Force Academy.
The Marine in the picture, Robert May, joined the Bogalusa Police Department and shortly thereafter was killed when he responded to a domestic violence dispute. His partner took care of the perp.
Somewhat personal, I knew two of the survivors. Five young men from Bogalusa endured the march. One died on the march, but the other four survived the war:
I had a long discussion with Dr. Daniel about his captivity and rescue a few days before I left for the Air Force Academy.
The Marine in the picture, Robert May, joined the Bogalusa Police Department and shortly thereafter was killed when he responded to a domestic violence dispute. His partner took care of the perp.
17
Posted on 2/1/22 at 10:56 am to blueridgeTiger
Death March is pretty awful.
They walk you till you can’t go anymore and then they shoot you.
They walk you till you can’t go anymore and then they shoot you.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:01 am to blueridgeTiger
One of the survivors from that brutal march was LA St Sen Jesse Knowles. What a horrible experience he and others endured.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:05 am to blueridgeTiger
My cousin was in that - made a movie about him
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:08 am to blueridgeTiger
Wife's grandfather was a survivor.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:15 am to blueridgeTiger
quote:
Jesse Knowles
He wrote a poem about it, linked here LINK
I never met Mr. Knowles, but I knew someone who worked closely with him on several legislative projects. He was a strong advocate for education. As Steven Ambrose noted in Band of Brothers, many of those men who had seen the worst the world had to offer desired to do something positive with the rest of their lives.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:22 am to Jim Rockford
Just finished reading Ghost Soldiers. God bless those men.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:26 am to komodo
quote:
Just finished reading Ghost Soldiers. God bless those men.
I going to look for that title.
You would probably like “Prisoners of the Japanese”. I read it about fifteen years ago. Goes into detail about the camps.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:29 am to komodo
I read Ghost Soldiers late last year. Amazing story.
I need to see the movie the OP mentioned
I need to see the movie the OP mentioned
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:29 am to blueridgeTiger
The Filipino POWs were treated even more brutally than their American counterparts.
The Americans and their Filipino allies had already held out several weeks longer than anyone thought possible with very little supplies to start with, so they were in bad shape when they finally surrendered.
It wasn’t just the Japanese brutality, they were completely unprepared to handle any POWs, and they suddenly had tens of thousands. The march was an unorganized procession into hell.
The Americans and their Filipino allies had already held out several weeks longer than anyone thought possible with very little supplies to start with, so they were in bad shape when they finally surrendered.
It wasn’t just the Japanese brutality, they were completely unprepared to handle any POWs, and they suddenly had tens of thousands. The march was an unorganized procession into hell.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 11:38 am to Ghost of Colby
My dad was a small child during the 1941 Louisiana maneuvers. An activated National Guard unit from Pennsylvania bivouaced near where they lived and his family got to be friendly with some of them. They maintained a correspondence with them after the maneuvers. Those guys shipped out to the Phillipines and they never heard from any of them again after Pearl Harbor. My father has often wondered if any of them survived.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:05 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
My father has often wondered if any of them survived.
The preface to Ghost Soldiers lists those who were rescued in the raid. I have not found lists of those who survived the death ships and were only freed at the end of the War.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:07 pm to blueridgeTiger
Reading the book now...Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:12 pm to ForLSU56
"Unbroken" is another good read about the Jap prison life.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:13 pm to blueridgeTiger
MEN
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:14 pm to ForLSU56
I graduated New Iberia Senior High in '86. One of the custodians, Pop, was a survivor. Dude was always walking like he was in a rush to get somewhere. The other custodian was a survivor of Jones Town.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:24 pm to blueridgeTiger
Great story but damn that movie was sub-mediocare. Deserved better treatment on film.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 12:30 pm to ccard257
quote:
Wife's grandfather was a survivor.
Same except uncle.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 1:28 pm to Barbellthor
Knew one survivor who became a game warden and was beloved by the entire parish. Would NOT write anybody a ticket, especially another veteran or kid.
Late in life he became an alcoholic and lost two adopted sons, one shot, one to an accident. Lost his mind. Sad for a guy to go through that ordeal and end up in that shape.
Late in life he became an alcoholic and lost two adopted sons, one shot, one to an accident. Lost his mind. Sad for a guy to go through that ordeal and end up in that shape.
Posted on 2/1/22 at 1:51 pm to blueridgeTiger
Many years ago I read a book on the Bataan Death March. One of the toughest reads I’ve ever done.
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