Bataan Death March

[yardman32317]

I received this information last week and thought it would be an interesting read.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/08/a ... es-081511/

[fishinfool]

Goes to show you that no matter how tough it is, a positive attitude will carry you a long way.

[Fighting Conch]

It is unbelievable what these men went through.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

WHAT IS A SHAME IS THE FACT THAT THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPEN. IF OLD GEN. MC AUTHUR AND HIS COMPETETORS WERE NOT UNDERMINING EACH OTHER THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. THEY WERE ALL TRYING TO OUTDUING EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF PLANING A WITHDRAWAL, THEY HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO DO IT . IF THEY HAD ONE EYE AND HALF SENSE THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPEDED, THE MEN WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE WHEN THE JAPS CAME IN TO CAPTURE THE ISLANDS. WE HAD SOME OF THE SAME STUFF HAPPENED OVER IN EUROPE WHEN THEY WENT AHEAD WITH THE INVASION IN A SEA STORM, THEY COULD HAVE WAITED 2 DAYS AND I BELIEVE OUR LOSSES WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT HALF WHAT THEY WERE.
I WAS ORDERED TO DO SOME THINGS THAT WOULD KILLED ME AND SENT MY PLANE TO THE BOTTOM, I DISOBEYED AND SANK THE SHIP I WENT AFTER AND GOT BACK TO THE INDEPENDENCE FOR A SAFE LANDING. HAD I FOLLOWED THE ORDERS I WAS GIVEN I WOULD HAVE DIED AS WELL AS MY TORPEDOMAN AND TURRET GUNNER AS WELL AS LOOSING OUR PLANE. THERE WERE A LOT OF ORDERS GIVEN BY PEOPLE THAT DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, IT WAS ODD, THESE GREENHORN LIGHT GENERALS THAT NEVER HAD BEEN IN COMBAT TELLING THOSE OF US WHO HAD BEEN FIGHTING THE WAR FOR OVER A YEAR THINGS TO DO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUICIDE IF WE FOLLOWED THEIR ORDERS.
PA
SEMPER FI

[CSMarine]

I had the good fortune to be stationed in the Philippines 1973-1975 while on active duty with the Marine Corps. I toured the old gun emplacements and bunker at Corregidor, and walked the same grounds where the "Death March" took place. It is a humbling feeling to stand on that hallow ground. My wife's village is about 15 hours from Manila, so not many outsiders have been there since WWII. My wife's uncle and some of the older men in the village fought with the guerillas against the Japanese. They had some real heart wrenching stories of the cruelties the Japanese commited against the Philippine people. One uncle witnessed the "March" in person. As he told me about it he cried. Needless to say while I was there I was treated like a king.

[MudDucker]

Pa, unfortunately, the same incompetence still costs us good men.

I used to be a history buff and the more I studied of Douglas MacArthur, the less I liked of him. He was a pompous political azz!

Glad you disobeyed and survived!

[yardman32317]

Too often the brass get all the glory and are remembered in the history books.
It always has been and always will be the individual soldier and his ability to make decisions (something distinctly unique about our military) that puts us in a winning position.
Without the initiative and drive that our soldiers display, past and present, we would never be where we are today.
Books like Flags of Our Fathers gets down in the trenches and tells the stories of the troops that really make it happen.
Those individual stories, because I was once there myself, are what I'm really interested in.

God bless all that served, are serving and will serve.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

MUDDUCKER, YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THAT OLD CUSS BEING A POMPOUS AZZ.
PA

[fishinfool]

I had a history teacher that told me his filming of "I shall return" was equal to any Hollywood production. Multiple takes and time to let his trousers dry out between takes etc...
On the flip side, Truman should have listened to him about the Chinese during Korea and kicked their butts back to the stone age. It would have saved us lots, especially during the cold war with the Soviets. Heck, there might not have even been a cold war without the Chinese communists.

[Fighting Conch]

WHAT IS A SHAME IS THE FACT THAT THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPEN. IF OLD GEN. MC AUTHUR AND HIS COMPETETORS WERE NOT UNDERMINING EACH OTHER THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. THEY WERE ALL TRYING TO OUTDUING EACH OTHER INSTEAD OF PLANING A WITHDRAWAL, THEY HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO DO IT . IF THEY HAD ONE EYE AND HALF SENSE THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPEDED, THE MEN WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE WHEN THE JAPS CAME IN TO CAPTURE THE ISLANDS. WE HAD SOME OF THE SAME STUFF HAPPENED OVER IN EUROPE WHEN THEY WENT AHEAD WITH THE INVASION IN A SEA STORM, THEY COULD HAVE WAITED 2 DAYS AND I BELIEVE OUR LOSSES WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT HALF WHAT THEY WERE.
I WAS ORDERED TO DO SOME THINGS THAT WOULD KILLED ME AND SENT MY PLANE TO THE BOTTOM, I DISOBEYED AND SANK THE SHIP I WENT AFTER AND GOT BACK TO THE INDEPENDENCE FOR A SAFE LANDING. HAD I FOLLOWED THE ORDERS I WAS GIVEN I WOULD HAVE DIED AS WELL AS MY TORPEDOMAN AND TURRET GUNNER AS WELL AS LOOSING OUR PLANE. THERE WERE A LOT OF ORDERS GIVEN BY PEOPLE THAT DID NOT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, IT WAS ODD, THESE GREENHORN LIGHT GENERALS THAT NEVER HAD BEEN IN COMBAT TELLING THOSE OF US WHO HAD BEEN FIGHTING THE WAR FOR OVER A YEAR THINGS TO DO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUICIDE IF WE FOLLOWED THEIR ORDERS.
PA
SEMPER FI

If it is not too much I would love to hear what kind of plane you flew and about some of your missions. You must have some amazing stories. The Independence was in the thick of it and took some hits in WWII.

[big bend gyrene]

Fighting Conch, like many war-time vets PA has some good memories but some painful ones too. Versus making him do a ton of typing, here's a link to some great info on his flying days. Guessing he might still reply to your request but the link's a great starting point for appreciating at least a small fraction of what he did!

http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... =5&t=27240

[big bend gyrene]

Fighting Conch, here are couple of more related posts about PA and his WWII brethren...

http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... 7&p=219465

http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... =5&t=27213

[Fighting Conch]

Thank you guys, I understand and hope I was not intrusive. My Dad had experiences in the Korean war he would not talk about.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

I REALLY DO NOT LIKE TO TALK OR REMEMBER THE THINGS THAT I WITNESSED OVER IN THE PACIFIC. IT IS GOOD TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE HAS RECORDED WHAT WENT ON OVER THERE SO IT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN.
I AM THE ONLY ONE STILL LIVING OUT OF THE 76 THAT SURVIVED THE WAR OF THE PACIFIC FROM MY WING. WE HAD 765 MEN WHEN WE WENT INTO THE BATTLES OF THE PACIFIC, 76 SURVIVED THE WAR TO GET BACK HOME. THE INDEPENDENCE AND THE ENTERPRISE WERE BOTH SUNK AND THE YORKTOWN WAS BADLY DAMAGED BEFORE I GOT ASSIGNED TO LAND BASE IN SIAPAN AND GUAM.
THANKS AGAIN BBG FOR THOSE PICTURES.
PA THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA
SEMPER FI

[Blue spinner]

i seat with tears in my eye as i read all of these post
i think of my Dad who is no longer with us , he would never talk about his experiences in the Korean war
and think of what some gave and that some gave all
so we would be FREE