Hopelessly outnumbered by the largest enemy military force in American history and facing certain slaughter, on April 9, 1942, Major Gen. Edward P. King surrendered himself, and the men he commanded—Filipino and American troops—to the Japanese who had overtaken the Philippine Islands. Most of the American troops were men from the New Mexico National Guard. Less than half of them returned to New Mexico at the end of the war.

In the early days of the war, the City of Albuquerque vowed to build a memorial to the men they had lost. There are memorials in Santa Fe, Las Cruces and others dotted all over the state, that are commemorated to the memory of those who did not come home, and those who did. For those who survived, the date of April 9 is never forgotten.

Congress, by Public Law 103-60, designated April 9, 1994 as “National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day,” and every President since then has issued a proclamation to observe the occasion. Here is President Bush’s, issued yesterday, and part of his statement:

Our Nation is extremely proud of our former prisoners of war, and we owe them and their families a debt we can never fully repay. On National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, we honor our country’s heroes who were prisoners of war, recognize their sacrifice, and express our deepest gratitude to those who helped write a more hopeful chapter in our history.

For those who fly their flag on special days, today is a good one to honor and recognize those who were formerly prisoners of war, and returned to us.

The photo is by “The Korky,” which was uploaded to Flickr on March 27, 2007. You may view more images by this photographer here.

Veterans, their families and friends gather each year to celebrate the lives of the dead and the survivors of the Bataan Death March. This year, seven survivors were at the ceremony in Santa Fe. A similar ceremony takes place in Albuquerque where there is also a memorial. The survivors participate in this ceremony in the hope that the rest of us will not forget what happened to them.

On April 9, 1942, between 70,000 and 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers surrendered and were taken captive by the invading Japanese forces at the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese were surprised and completely unprepared for the large number of prisoners—they expected no more than one third the number.

Bataan Death march

The next day on April 10—65 years ago today—the Japanese began a forced march of the already starving and weakened men 63 miles due north to a prison camp. Only 54,000 men reached the camp. The U.S. soldiers, variously numbered between 1200 and 1800 came mostly from the New Mexico National Guard.

In 1945, Congress declared April 9 to be Bataan Memorial Day. Shortly after, at the flagpole and plaque outside the New Mexico state office building designated as the Bataan Memorial Building, vets inaugurated this unusual flag ceremony.

I can’t tell you the story as well as these people, so please follow the links, and if you are ever in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, be sure to visit these memorials. There is a brief video link at the Albuquerque site, and this link is news video from station KRQE (CBS Channel 13) in Albuquerque.

Related Links:
Battle of Bataan
Beyond Courage Book