Brainerd Armory Holds Memorial on 82nd Anniversary of Bataan Death March

82 years ago, after the three-month Battle of Bataan, the Imperial Japanese Army forcibly moved 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from the Bataan peninsula to Camp O’Donnell in the Philippines during World War II. On Tuesday, a memorial was held in honor of those who lost their lives and survived the Bataan Death March at the Brainerd National Guard Armory.

The Bataan Death March began when 75,000 soldiers from the American and Filipino armed forces were forced to march up to 65 miles from April 9 to April 17, 1942. If a soldier stopped, they were killed. If a civilian tried to help them, they were killed.

For the military, honoring the event is of the utmost importance, especially in Brainerd, where soldiers from the 194th Tank Battalion were forced into the death march.

“It’s certainly important to this local area because of the number of soldiers who are from the Brainerd area and the impact that both the loss of so many as well as the survivors coming back to this area had on the local area,” said Col. Joshua Simer from the National Guard Joint Force Headquarters. “It’s important for the military because tradition is a big part of what we do and it helps build the esprit de corps to realize that you’re part of something, part of an organization that did great things many years ago. And also, it’s a way of remembering how to deal with hardship, because nothing we’re facing in training or even in our recent wars has approached what the men of the 194th faced during World War II in the Battle of Bataan and afterwards.”

The exact number of casualties during the Bataan Death March is still unknown. Some sources estimate the number of American deaths at 500-650 casualties, while the number of Filipino deaths can range from 5,000-18,000. This is why those in the armed forces believe it’s important to honor the sacrifices our Filipino brothers and sisters made during the death march.

“The bond between the U.S. and Filipino soldiers who fought in Bataan was forged in fire and blood,” stated Col. Simer. “Many Filipino soldiers fought and died in Bataan, and in the death march and the P.O.W. camps,” The Philippines were in the process of gaining their independence from the U.S. when war broke out. And so it’s a key part of Philippine national identity as well. And so remembering that [and] remembering the fact that it is part of our own history and our own military heritage is very important.”

It is one thing to read about events like the Bataan Death March, but for Col. Simer, attending memorial events like the one at the Brainerd Armory is how you can learn so much about the nation’s history.

“The reason we’re here today is because men and women in the past have been willing to make sacrifices and face hardships, and we need to be ready to do the same if necessary,” he added. “And if our only memory of these is stale words on a history book, we won’t be ready.”

After World War II, the Japanese commander who commanded the forces that perpetrated the Bataan Death March, along with two of his officers, were convicted of war crimes. All three were subsequently executed.