How Bataan Death March Changed American History

The Bataan Death March changed American history and the lives of American and Filipino soldiers. They will never be able to unsee the awful time period when they were prisoners of war, the agony they were in will haunt them forever, the Bataan Death March is not just something to brush off your shoulders, the Death March changed so many lives and hurt so many people, the full horrors of this Death March need to be made known in order to prevent further possibilities of events like these from happening.

April 9, 1942 was the start of this tragic march that changed so many lives for the worse. The Bataan Death March started after a 3 month war in Bataan when the U.S surrendered on the Bataan Peninsula during World War II. Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops were taken and forced to make the 65 mile march in intense heat while being tortured, 2,500-10,000 Filipino prisoners of war and 100-650 American prisoners died before they could even make it to their “camp”

Sasa, when she said that “When we know the facts it will become apparent that there is no such thing that only one side is to blame.” Mr. Lenney responds with “So tell me Ms. Sasa, what did my many friends or I do to share the blame for the tragic events of the Bataan Death March? We surrendered and gave up our guns and ammunition, we responded to every Japanese command; we didn’t talk back or try to hit any of the Japanese soldiers. I for one walked on the March with a broken nose, two teeth knocked out, a gash on my head and a sword wound on my shoulder, all from Japanese soldiers while on the March. So what did I do to be labeled “also blamed for the tragic events of the Bataan Death March?” Publishing your article as you did, is not only an insult to a person’s intelligence, it is an insult to we survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March.” Lester Tenney.“The Bataan Death March: Fact or Fiction”. Simon Wiesenthal Center. 21 May,