The Battling Bastards of Bataan Plaque
Details:
On the wall of the mountain behind the Colonnade. This is the 4th among the seven plaques on the wall.
Plaque
A rectangular black plaque containing the map of Bataan and a commemoration message. This is presented by The Battling Bastards of Bataan to honor the men who fought and died near the site. The 75,000 American and Filipino forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur on Bataan and Corregidor were to become known as the Battling Bastards of Bataan. The bulk of the soldiers were untrained and unequipped, and communication between the troops was difficult. Many of the U.S. and Filipino soldiers who were left behind felt abandoned and the song below sarcastically reveals the feelings of the weary and hungry soldiers.
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. Nobody gives a damn.
- Written by Frank Hewlett in 1942
After surrendering to the Japanese in Bataan, the surviving U.S. and Filipino soldiers were forced on a brutal march to Camp O’Donnell in Northern Luzon. Of the 70,000 prisoners of war forced on the Bataan Death March nearly 10,000 died. Those who were glad the march was over found no relief; in a little more than a month over 22,000 died in Camp O’Donnell. Disease, exhaustion, and torture led to one of the highest rates of POW death in World War II. Liberation for most of the Battling Bastards of Bataan came in August 1945. One-third of the prisoners who were liberated later died within a year, their bodies and minds ravaged by their experiences.
Source of information: www.trekkingpinatubo.com
Monument Text:
"THE BATAAN GARRISON WAS DESTROYED DUE TO ITS DREADFUL HANDICAPS,
BUT NO ARMY IN HISTORY MORE THOROUGHLY ACCOMPLISHED ITS MISSION..."
GENERAL OF THE ARMY DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
THIS PLAQUE IS HERE PLACED TO HONOR THE MEN WHO FOUGHT AND DIED NEAR THIS SITE. IT IS PRESENTED BY THE BATTLING BASTARDS OF BATAAN, AN ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN SURVIVORS OF THE BATTLE OF BATAAN (FOUGHT FROM 02 JANUARY TO 09 APRIL 1942), AND THEIR FAMILIES; SURVIVORS AS WELL OF THE SUBSEQUENT BATAAN DEATH MARCH, OF THE HELL SHIPS, AND OF JAPANESE PRISONER OF WAR CAMPS. THIS PLAQUE SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT THE PRECEPTS OF COURAGE, DEVOTION TO DUTY, AND SACRIFICE HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT BECOME OUTMODED.
REMEMBER ALWAYS:
KEEP THE FAITH IN OUR COUNTRY
THE BATTLING BASTARDS OF BATAAN
APRIL 9, 2002
MAJOR RICHARD M. GORDON
ADJUTANT
