PHILIPPINE BATTLEFIELDS AND POW CAMPS TOUR AND DEDICATION OF THE WW II HELLSHIPS MEMORIAL (cont.)

On January 20th we left Corregidor Island and sailed across the channel to Mariveles where we began to trace the steps of the route taken by the POWs who were captured at the fall of Bataan, and which ultimately became known as the infamous “Bataan Death March”.

Ex-POW Dick Francies who made the Death March, poses at the Km 00 marker at Mariveles – starting point of the march.

During that day and the next we drove up along the coast stopping at various kilometer markings and visiting places along the route of the march like Cabcaben, Limay, Pilar, Balanga – where Gen. King surrendered his troops on Bataan, Mt. Samat, Bagac – where the second stage of the Death March began, and then past the site of the Battle of the Pockets and on to Subic Bay.

Finally the big day had arrived – January 22nd, and early in the morning a group of about 24 people boarded a large Philippine “banca” boat and headed out onto the waters of Subic Bay to the place where one of the hellships – the Oryoku Maru, lies on the bottom in about 80 feet of water.

I was privileged to be a part of this group who were laying flowers on the water in memory of family members who had been lost on the hellships. It was a wonderful ceremony as we paid our respects to fathers, brothers, grandfathers and other relatives who had so needlessly died. Duane spoke and read out all the names of those who were being represented and following the laying of the flowers on the water, a group of six Filipino Firemen sang the hymn “How Great Thou Art” There was not a dry eye on that boat.

Sharing a prayer together for lost loved ones. - J. Shively Photo

Following the service on the boat and breakfast, everyone gathered at the site of the new World War II Hellships Memorial on the shore of Subic Bay for the dedication ceremony. There were four former POWs on this trip with us and they were the special guests on this day.

MC Randy Anderson told the story of the memorial, Father James Reuter, age 90 and himself a civilian prisoner of the Japanese, offered a prayer of remembrance and dedication, and Duane Heisinger gave the keynote address. Floral tributes were placed on the memorial by representatives of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, the Czech Republic, ADBC, BBB, the American Legion/VFW, the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society and Valor Tours. At last there is a memorial in honour of those of all nations who suffered on the hellships.

(l-r) Charles Towne, Everett Reamer, Malcolm Amos and Dick Francies in front of the new WWII Hellships Memorial.

The next day, January 23rd, we went from Subic to San Fernando, Pampanga and Km marker 102 – where the Death March prisoners ended the first part of their walk and were loaded on trains to continue their journey to Capas, Tarlac. We visited Fort Stotsenburg / Clark Field, and then on to Capas Railroad Station and museum. From there we traced the last ten kilometers of the Death March to the site of the former Camp O’Donnell where more than 1600 American POWs who died in that awful camp are remembered on a memorial erected by the Battling Bastards of Bataan.

(l) Camp O’Donnell Memorial / (r) Cabanatuan POW Camp

On the last day of our tour we visited the site of the infamous Cabanatuan POW Camp before returning to Manila where most of the group said goodbye to those who would go on the extension tours to Taiwan and Japan.

This memorial tour was an opportunity for many – including myself, to retrace the events of WW II history and to have a further part in assuring that the memory of those who gave so much for our freedom will never be forgotten.