[SandRat]

BataaPing

[Smartass]

God Bless everyone of them. They were all true heros.

[BartMan1]

79 pounds ? The mind has trouble wrapping around that paricular statistic....

[leprechaun9]

An enlightening read on this subject:

GHOST SOLDIERS
The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission
By HAMPTON SIDES
Published by Doubleday

[giznort]

We were very fortunate to hear the memories of local Bataan death march survivor, Ernest Norquist (father of the recent former Mayor of Milwaukee, John Norquist) who spoke quite eloquently about his experiences 2 years ago at a local organization called the Ozaukee County Military Historians Club, now renamed Metro Milwauke Military Historians Club. The two wonderful men who have set this up have done a great job bringing in men and women who have served our country in past wars/military actions, to give an eyewitness view of their experiences, often supported by video presentations. All in all, these presentations give an eye-opening rendition of how these wonderful people have laid their lives on the line for our freedoms. So many of the speakers have been from the rapidly diminishing ranks of the WWII era, and it's great to hear them speak of their actual experiences, which don't always jive with the "official" accounts that are spoon fed to us. If anything, it's given me a great appeciation for our men and women of the military and the sacrifices they've made to make us the greatest country in the world.

[SwinneySwitch]

Thanks!

[Oatka]

"We're the Battling Bastards of Bataan,
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces,
And nobody gives a damn!"
by Frank Hewlett, 1942.

Some troops had rifles with broken extractors and had to carry a wooden rod to knock the fired case out. Their WWI Stokes mortars had a dud rate of 70%. Near the end they were living on a cup of rice and a teaspoon of salmon gravy twice a day.

They held out until April 9, 1942 against overwhelming odds and bloodied the Jap's noses.

Read about the screwups and their ordeal at:
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/bataan.html

Better yet, plug in "Bataan Death March" in Google and read what these guys went through. True heroes.

[Balding_Eagle]

Two of my uncles made the march. Only one returned.

He wrote the story of his ordeal, and gave me a copy when I visited him a couple of years ago. It took months for me to have the courage to read it all the way through. Even now I can't even begin to imagine the horror my uncles experienced at the hands of the Japanese.

He died a year ago.

[Smartass]

TRUE HEROS

[G Larry]

In memory of Leo Harmon, a survivor of Bataan, who passed a few years ago.
And a special memory for Billy Joe, who did not survive Bataan.
Leo's daughter, 'Billie Jo', is a dear friend.

[Andyman]

Capt Hans Hornbostel, my grandfather, survived the march at age 60. Then 3 more years at Camp O'Donnell, then Cabanatuan, Ft. Santiago, and Bilibid.

Died April 3, 1957.

[TejasRose]

My father-in-law was a Bataan death march survivor and was a POW for 3-1/2 years. He was with the 200th Coastal Artillery. He was a true American hero! He lived to be 70, but I know he had many medical problems because of the time he spent as a POW. God rest his soul!!

[bogdanPolska12]

Salute from me polish guy to you great Americans -- Military salute with full honor.

God Bless you all

Humble
Bogdan

[jnarcus]

Mr. Bruce Mulholland, my junior high math teacher, was on Corrigedor when that island fell. He was on the Bataan march and spent his POW time in Manchuria. The stories of those times that he shared with us were heart rending ,awful, brutal, and unforgetable. When he arrived at Lawry airfield outside of Denver this 6 ft 5 in man weighed in at a mere 96 pounds sick near to death with disentery, malaria, and plenty of other bad things. His recovery to full health took nearly three years. For all those who served ( or who serve now) thank you for my freedom. It is cherished and priceless

[Bataan son]

My father (still living at his own home!) was aboard the Tatori Maru (in the hold) as a POW of the Japanese. He was gut shot during combat as a sergeant in the 31st Infantry and somehow recuperated enough to make the Death March and subsequent 3.5 years of daily hell at the hands of the merciless captors. His journey away from the Phillipines aboard the Jap ship was nearly interrupted by an American sub (it is believed) that fired torpedoes not knowing U.S. POWs were aboard. The torpedoes missed, although the men swear they heard them coming in! His journey ended in Mukden, Manchuria. Anyway, he’s been plagued by the question ever since — what was the sub’s name and who commanded her? He’s lived with lots of problems and bad memories his whole life since, but i sure wish i could help him answer his one remaining question out of the whole mess. Any ideas out there as to how i can find this info for him? By the way, his name was changed after the war due to spelling difficulties! It used to be Sgt. John S. Zubrzycki during the war years.

[EternalVigilance]

Never forget.

[delsdeb]

My Father was a WWII POW for 3 years AND a survivor of the Bataan Death March who weighed 80 lbs in the end! He NEVER received ANY recognition for his service! When he finally received his POW medal, which was 40 yrs later, they had misspelled his name! I have all the discharge papers stating where & when he was taken captive, along with letters sent via Red Cross from his Mother to the prison camp in Osaka Japan! His name is Delbert L Schultz,USArmy DOB: 02/17/1917 DOD: 08/06/1997, His remains still sit in a box on my Mom’s shelf because she couldn’t afford a burial. I feel he deserves one with full military honors!!
Any help or input on this would be greatly appreciated!