From the parking lot, a wide three series of steps that narrows to the top lead visitors to the flagpole that holds the flag of the Philippines. The last series of steps to the Colonnade level is bordered on two sides by two pedestals topped with bronze urns symbolizing the eternal flame.


The Colonnade is a marble-clad structure surrounded by an esplanade, itself surrounded by marble-clad parapets. The outer side is covered with 19 high relief sculptures by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, and alternates depictions of the war with 18 bronze insignia of USAFFE Division units by Talleres de Maximo Vicente, Leonides Valdez, and Angel Sampra and Sons. Each bronze insignia has a flagstaff for the flags of each division.

In the center of the Colonnade is the altar, behind which are three religious stained glass murals designed by Cenon Rivera and executed by Vetrate D'Arte Giuliani of Rome, Italy. Four large bronze chandeliers hang from the ceiling, while inscribed in marble on the two lateral walls is a narrative of the “Battle of Bataan”.

Inscription on the memorial wall:

South wall:

THE BATTLE OF BATAAN

                ON THIS GROUND GALLANT MEN CHOSE TO DIE RATHER THAN SURRENDER.

                FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE PHILIPPINES THEY CAME, YOUTHFUL AND BRAVE TO MAKE THEIR LAST STAND IN BATAAN AGAINST AN IMPLACABLE ENEMY WHICH HAD MARCHED THROUGH ASIA. WHAT TRANSPIRED WAS A FEROCIOUS COMBAT BETWEEN RAW ILL-EQUIPPED RECRUITS AND SEASONED, WELL-ARMED TROOPS.

                ON THESE TABLETS IS RECORDED THE EPIC, THE TRULY UNIFYING EXPERIENCE, THAT WAS BATA. LET ALL WHO READ THIS TAKE PRIDE IN THE COURAGE OF OUR RACE.

THE BATTLE: THE ENEMY HAD SECURED THE BEACHHEADS ON LINGAYEN GULF AND THE WEST COAST OF TAYABAS PROVINCE. THE 14TH JAPANESE IMPERIAL ARMY OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL MASAHARU HOMMA NOW STARTED A GIGANTIC PINCER ATTACK. THE FATE OF LUZON WAS SEALED.

                FIGHTING VALIANTLY, THE UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN THE FAR EAST (USAFFE) LED BY GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR WAS THROWN BACK IN FIERCE ACTIONS BY THE IMPLACABLE ADVANCE OF THE ENEMY. RETREAT TO BATAAN BECAME INEVITABLE. ON THIS PENINSULA, THE DEFENDING FORCES FOLLOWING WAR PLAN ORANGE 3, REGROUPED FOR A LAST STAND AGAINST THE INVADERS.

                DELAYING ACTIONS WERE FOUGHT TO PERMIT WITHDRAWAL TO THE PENINSULA, THE BLOODIEST OF WHICH WAS FOUGHT BY THE 11TH AND 21ST DIVISIONS ON THE PORAC - GUAGUA LINE.

THE 26TH CAVALRY REGIMENT PROTECTED THE WEST FLANK OF THE 21ST DIVISION. AS THE ENTIRE USAFFE STRUGGLED FROM SOUTH AND NORTH TOWARD THE LAYAC JUNCTION, THE ONLY APPROACH TO BATAAN, THE DELAYING FORCES HELD ITS LINE ON OPEN AND UNPREPARED GROUND FROM 1 JANUARY TO 5 JANUARY THEY STOOD FAST AGAINST MASSIVE ENEMY AERIAL AND ARTILLERY BOMBARDMENT CONCENTRATED TANK ATTACKS AND BANZAI CHARGES. CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES WERE HEAVY.

                THE FIRST DEFENSIVE LINE IN BATAAN WAS THE HERMOSA - DINALUPIHAN LINE WHERE ON 6 JANUARY 1942 THE 71ST DIVISION, THE AMERICAN 31ST INFANTRY REGIMENT AND THE 26TH CAVALRY REGIMENT FOUGHT OFF FHE PURSUING ENEMY.

                THE AIM OF WAR PLAN ORANGE 3 WAS TO RESIST THE ENEMY ON THE BATAAN PENINSULA TO THE LIMITS OF HUMAN ENDURANCE.

                THE MAIN BATTLE POSITION OF THE USAFFE, THE ABUCAY- MORONG LINE, WAS ATTACKED ALONG ITS EASTERN FLANK ON 9 JANUARY BUT WAS REPULSED BY THE 57TH REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM, REINFORCED BY THE 21ST INFANTRY OF THE 21ST DIVISION.

ON 14 JANUARY, THE JAPANESE ATTACKED THE BOUNDARY OF THE 41ST AND 51ST DIVISIONS. THE 43RD INFANTRY, HOLDING THE LEFT FLANK OF THE 41ST DIVISION, REINFORCED BY THE 23RD INFANTRY, 21St DIVISION, SHARPLY REFUSED ITS FLANK. THE 51ST INFANTRY HOLDING THE RIGHT, FLANK OF THE 51ST DIVISION, WITHDREW CREATING A GAP THROUGH WHICH THE ENEMY ADVANCED TO THE SALIAN RIVER, BUT WAS DISCOVERED BY A PATROL OF THE 21ST DIVISION. ELEMENTS OF THE 21ST DIVISION WERE RUSHED TO THE SALIAN RIVER VALLEY AND AFTER A SAVAGE FIGHT SUCCEEDED IN THROWING BACK THE ENEMY. FARTHER TO THE WEST THE ENEMY SURPRISED AND ROUTED THE 53RD INFANTRY, PENETRATING DEEP BEHIND THE MAIN BATTLE POSITION ALONG THE ABO-ABO RIVER VALLEY. THE ENEMY ADVANCE WAS HELD UP BY COMBINED ELEMENTS OF THE 21ST DIVISION OF THE II CORPS RESERVE THE 31ST AND THE 51ST DIVISIONS ON THE BANI-GUITOL FOREST AREA.

                THE AMERICAN 31ST INFANTRY AND 45TH INFANTRY, PHILIPPINE SCOUTS SUCCEEDED IN PARTIALLY RESTORING THE ABANDONED 51ST DIVISION LINE.

                ON 15 JANUARY, THE MORONG SECTOR, DEFENDED BY THE 1ST REGULAR DIVISION, REINFORCED, CAME UNDER HEAVY BOMBARDMENT, BUT THE LINE HELD.

                A FEW DAYS LATER, THE ENEMY PENETRATED THROUGH A HUGE GAP IN THE SILANGAN-NATIB AREA AND ESTABLISHED A ROAD BLOCK ON THE MAUBAN RIDGE, THUS CUTTING OFF THE 1ST REGULAR DIVISION FROM THE REAR AREA. GRAVELY THREATENED, ELEMENTS OF THE 71ST AND 91ST DIVISION AND THE 2ND RC REGIMENT REPEATEDLY ATTACKED THE ROAD BLOCK BUT FAILED TO DISLODGE THE ENEMY.

North wall:

                ALTHOUGH THE II CORPS SECTOR HAD PREVENTED A SIMILAR ENVELOPMENT IN THE SALIAN RIVER BATTLE, THE I CORPS POSITION WAS NOW UNTENABLE. THE ABUCAY-MORONG LINE WAS ABANDONED ON 24 JANUARY. THE ORION-BAGAC LINE WAS ESTABLISHED TWO DAYS LATER.

                AGAIN IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO OUTFLANK THE I CORPS THE ENEMY LANDED CRACK UNITS, ON THE WEST COAST OF SOUTHERN BATAAN.THE AIM WAS TO OUTFLANK AND TO ISOLATE THE FRONT-LINE UNITS FROM HEADQUARTERS AND SUPPLIES.

THERE WERE THREE FEROCIOUS ENGAGEMENTS: IN THE LAPIAY-LONGOSKAWAYAN POINTS AREA, FOUGHT FROM 23 TO 29 JANUARY IN QUINAUAN-AGLALOMA POINTS AREA, FOUGHT FROM 23 JANUARY TO 8 FEBRUARY. AND SILAIIM-ANYASAN POINTS, FOGUHT FROM 27 JANUARY TO 13 FEBRUARY. OF THE 2,000 ENEMY TROOPS COMMITTED TO THESE BATTLES, ONLY 34 WOUNDED SOLDIERS RETURNED TO THEIR LINES.

                ON 27 JANUARY, ENEMY TROOPS WERE DISCOVERED IN THE REAR OF THE ORION-BAGAC LINE, THE TUOL RIVER VALLEY BEHIND THE 11TH REGULAR DIVISION AND IN THE GOGO-COTAR RIVER VALLEY BEHIND THE 1ST REGULAR DIVISION. THE SERIES OF ENGAGEMENTS TO ELIMINATE THESE ENEMY SALIENTS BECAME KNOWN AS THE BATTLE OF THE POCKETS, FOUGHT FROM 27 JANUARY THROUGH 17 FEBRUARY. OF THE 2,000 JAPANESE TROOPS COMMITTED TO THIS BATTLE, ONLY 377 ENEMY SOLDIERS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE ESCAPED.

                AFTER THE BATTLE OF THE POINTS, POCKETS, AND TRAIL 2, WHICH WERE BRILLIANT TRIUMPHS OF THE USAFFE, THE ENEMY WITHDREW TO REGROUP THEIR FORCES AND TO WAIT FOR REINFORCEMENTS.

                MEANWHILE, ON 12 MARCH, GENERAL MACARTHUR, HIS FAMILY AND SOME STAFF OFFICERS OF THE USAFFE LEFT ON FOUR PT-BOATS FOR MINDANAO, FROM WHERE THEY WERE FLOWN TO AUSTRALIA. MACARTHUR'S DEPARTURE WAS THE END OF THE USAFFE. ON 22 MARCH, THE DEFENDING ARMY WAS RE NAMED UNITED STATES FORCES IN THE PHILIPPINES: (USFIP) UNDER THE COMMAND OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL JONATHAN M. WAINWRIGHT.

                THE JAPANESE HIGH COMMAND REINFORCED HOMMA'S 14TH IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY, AND TOWARD THE END OF MARCH THE ENEMY STRUCK. THE ENTIRE ORION-BAGAC LINE WAS SUBJECTED TO VICIOUS ARTILLERY AND AERIAL BOMBARDMENT. ABOUT A HUNDRED AND FIFTY ARTILLERY PIECES OF VARIOUS CALIBERS CONCENTRATED IN FRONT OF MOUNT SAMAT. THE ENEMY OPENED FIRE ATH 1000 HOURS ON GOOD FRIDAY 3 APRIL. AERIAL BOMBING WAS EQUALLY INTENSE. THE 21ST AND 41ST DIVISIONS CAME UNDER INCREDIBLY SAVAGE BOMBARDMENT, TURNING THE MOUNT SAMAT AREA INTO AN INFERNO. THE FOREST WAS SET ON FIRE, MEN WERE BURIED ALIVE IN THEIR FOXHOLES AND EVERY INCH OF GROUND WAS COVERED BY ENEMY FIRE. THE DUST, FLAMES AND SMOKE DARKENED THE MOUNTAINS. THE USAFFE ARTILLERY, WHICH HAD BACKED THE DEFENDERS, WAS IMMOBILIZED.

                                ON 4 APRIL, THE ENEMY INFANTRY ATTACKED THE 23RD INFANTRY. CRASHING THROUGH THE LINE ALONG TRAIL 4, THE ENEMY SWERVED TOWARD THE EAST AND STRUCK THE FLANK OF THE 22ND INFANTRY. BY NIGHTTIME, THE ENEMY HAD PENETRATED 1,000 YARDS BEHIND THE MAIN BATTLE POSITION OF THE 23RD. BY 6 APRIL MOUNT SAMAT WAS SURROUNDED. BUT THE 2I ST DIVISION, REFORMING ITS LINES TO RESEMBLE A HORSESHOE, STILL HELD THE SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAIN. THE BATTLE OF MOUNT SAMAT WAS CALLED THE MOST VICIOUS ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND BATTLE OF BATAAN. 

                ON 9 APRIL 1942, AT HIGH NOON, MAJOR GENERAL EDWARD P. KING. JR., SENIOR AMERICAN OFFICER ON THE BATTLE-TORN PENINSULA, SURRENDERED THE BATAAN FORCES. THE INFAMOUS DEATH MARCH BEGAN, AN ORDEAL WHICH ANNEALED THE FILIPINO SPIRIT.

                THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SURRENDER A SERIES OF EARTHQUAKES ROCKED BATAAN TWO OF WHICH WERE OF NATURES MAKING IN THE MORNING HEAVY RAIN FELL THEN THE SUN SHONE.

                THE HEROIC RESISTANCE OF THE DEFENDERS OR BATAAN HAD WRECKED THE TIME-TABLE OF THE ENEMY.

                LET FRIEND AND FOE RECOGNIZE THE MARTIAL SPIRIT THAT DEFEAT COULD NOT BREAK. TO THE MEMORY OF THESE BRAVE WARRIORS WHOSE BLOOD SOAKED EVERY POCK OF THIS LAND SO THAT THIS NATION MIGHT ENDURE, THIS HUMBLE SHRINE IS CONSECRATED.

OUR MISSION IS TO REMEMBER