I always think of the Battling Bastards of Bataan on Memorial Day. They were heroes that never received the degree of respect they earned. People speak of the Fall of Bataan, but they forget the Fight of Bataan. They forget how American and Filipino troops held their ground in some of the most miserable conditions that warriors of any time had face. Cutoff from reinforcements, food, ammunition, and medicine the Fighters of Bataan truly gave their all, in the face of withering fire and a brutally tenacious enemy.
The REAL Story of Bataan is not how these men fell but how they stood up for themselves, their brothers in arms, and the nation that had forsaken them.
“There are times when men must die.” Those were the words of Secretary of War, Henry L Stimson in January 1942 in reference to our troops on Bataan.
But they didn't die then ,,, they fought ... they fought though sick, starving, beyond hope of relief. They fought on after Douglas MacArthur escaped to Australia in March 1942. They fought until General King surrendered to the Japanese forces ... some who escaped the Death March would continue fighting as Guerrilla's until the end of the War.
It was the Battling Bastards of Bataan that ultimately defeated the Japanese, by holding on for four months, when the Japanese expected they would only last for two weeks, ruining the Japanese schedule of conquest..
Please remember the Battling Bastards of Bataan today.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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