During World War II many unimaginable actions were done to others. Among those that immediately come to mind are the Holocaust and the bombing of Japan. But most individuals do not think about the events on Bataan in the Philippines. One reason is that the events that occurred there are not very well known. Another reason is the Europe First policy, that has not only shaped the way individuals think about World War II today, but was one of the contributing factors leading to the United States losing the Philippines to Japan.
The goal of this project is to make some of the events that occurred on the Philippines known. The Pacific theatre should have been the United State's focus, since the U.S. owned possessions there, had troops there, and concentration on the Pacific might have prevented a long war with Japan and all the events that followed, including the use of the Atomic bomb. However, the Europe First strategy was employed by those in Washington D.C., even though the U.S. did not have any possessions in Europe or military sent there yet. While this error in judgement might not seem consequential at first, this project shows that putting Europe first was a significant contributing factor to one of the worst atrocities of World War II.
Due to the United States losing the Philippines, thousands of troops, both American and Filipino (who were fighting for the U.S.) were killed. If they had only died in battle, their deaths would not be so inconceivable. But what makes their deaths so wrong, is the fact that they did not have to die in such great numbers, nor did the survivors have to have their lives changed forever. One reason thousands of them died is due to a lack of prioritizing and preparation on the part of the United States. If the soldiers had the correct and enough equipment and supplies, they could have fought and won. It is easy to speculate fifty years later, but as the following pages show, this is not an unfounded assumption. What lead to the fall of Bataan and Corregidor was not a lack of ability, fighting sprit, or courage. It was a lack of food, medical supplies, and weapons. That is what makes their deaths so pointless.
But their deaths are not only attributable to the failures of Washington bureaucracy. If the Japanese treated their Prisoners of War humanely, did not force them to be the participants of the infamous Bataan Death March, did not starve, abuse, and execute them as they pleased, more would have survived. Finally, if they did not put them on hell ships when the POWs came near liberation, thousands would have lived and returned to their families. These atrocities, retold here through words and pictures, show how all these soldiers died unnecessarily.
It is unfortunate that these soldiers gave their lives for their country, and yet their story is forgotten by most, and barely mentioned in children's history textbooks. Those who died on the shores of Normandy are remembered almost yearly. Maybe someday, those who died just as heroically across the world will be honored and remembered too. This project, which tells their story, is one step toward that goal.