Bataan Death March Memorial
For America, World War II began on December 7, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack was only part of Japan's day-long assault on locations throughout the Pacific, however, and major American installations on Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines, were also devastated.
The Japanese began their amphibious invasion of Luzon two weeks after the attack. By January 1942, American and Filipino armies were pushed south toward the Bataan Peninsula. Wracked with starvation, debilitating tropical diseases and facing dwindling supplies of ammunition and equipment, they still continued to fight for three more months supported by courageous Filipino civilians. The defense by American and Filipino delayed the Japanese timetable for the conquest of the Pacific by many months, allowing America to rearm for war.
The Bataan Death MarchOn April 9, 1942, American soldiers defending the Philippines were ordered to surrender. The Japanese quickly assembled all POWs and started them on the infamous seven-day, 65 mile Bataan Death March (see map below). Approximately 70,00 men started the march. Disease, hunger, thirst and abuse by Japanese soldiers made each more deadly. More than 1,000 Americans and possibly 15,000 Filipinos died before reaching Camp O'Donnell.
About the MemorialThe Bataan Death March Memorial is the only national Bataan memorial. Those in the March came from all parts of the nation. They came from about 300 New Mexico communities, and about 300 came from southwest New Mexico alone.
The larger-than-life bronze statue depicts the struggle of those on the March who helped their buddies. Footprints are imbedded in the concrete in front of them... footprints made by boots, footprints made by bare feet. These prints were made by those who had survived the March.
The Memorial is located in northeast Las Cruces.
