Bataan Death March

 “In war, you win or lose, live or die - and the difference is just an eyelash.” Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur was not like by most Filipino soldiers during the Bataan Peninsula Battle. They called him "Dugout Doug" for abandoning the Philippines when it was captured by the Japanese. Although, the president ordered him to immediately leave the Philippines and go to the U.S. This made him appear like a quitter to the Filipinos, but MacArthur was actually an exceptional general and field Marshall in World War 2. After the war, he returned to America as a hero, and received a Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines campaign.

The Bataan death march was an effect of the Bataan Peninsula battle. The Bataan Peninsula battle included the Japanese fighting the Americans and Filipinos, led by Douglas MacArthur. American and Filipino soldiers had plenty of ammo, many other important resources such as food was scarce. More soldiers were actually dying from hunger and malnourishment, than from enemy fire. A ship could not come and rescue them, because most American ships had just recently been sunk at Pearl Harbor. They were told to hold out for as long as possible against the Japanese. This led them to believe that they were soon going to be rescued, but help did not come. They were able to hold out for a long time, but surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1943.

Japanese Lieutenant General Masahuro Homma took the surrendered soldiers prisoner. There were so many soldiers that the only way  the Japanese could transport them to their camp was to make them march 70 miles. The marched continuously all day and all night. If they stopped to go to the bathroom or rest, they were immediately shot. There was food and water all around them, but the prisoners were not given any.The overwhelming heat also caused the soldiers to receive "the sun treatment". They died of thirst, got heat exhaustion, and heat exhaustion. Japanese soldiers would force the prisoners to sit in an open field to be further exposed to the son. It made the march even more miserable.

An Amercing survivor of the Bataan Death March opens up about his experiences in this interview:

Interview with Survivor