On the Trail at the 2017 Bataan Memorial Death March
On April 9th, the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) marks the 75th anniversary of the fall of Bataan and Corregidor during World War II and the infamous Bataan Death March. Recognized as the Day of Valor (“Araw ng Kagitingan” in Filipino) as a national holiday in the Philippines, we take it as an opportunity to lift up the story of the Bataan Death March and of those who fought there. This weekend around the country, FilVetREP leadership will join communities in San Francisco, New York/ New Jersey, and Washington, DC to remember the history of World War II and to give special recognition to the Filipino soldiers of World War II whose role in that history has been institutionally and systemically erased for decades. It comes at a time when we currently have forces in harm's way and the governments of both the United States and the Philippines are in political upheaval. We honor the sacrifice made by the soldiers in the Bataan Death March today, and we know full well that the debates, protests, and actions are happening in these political times are made possible precisely because of that sacrifice.
As an organization, FilVetREP has sought to tell the stories of the survivors of the Bataan Death March- of the Filipino and American soldiers who suffered side by side through the 65 miles of hardship and forced march. Three weeks ago, we sent a contingent to take part in the 28th running of the Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, NM. Since 1989, the community in New Mexico has brought together a nationwide constituency to remember those who served and to honor the survivors of the Bataan Death March.
Until recently, however, the focus has been on the Americans who served and survived. On this 75th anniversary year, our contingent made history at the Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico by providing perspectives from the Filipinos who served and survived, as well as their families. We were honored to be invited to make a presentation to an audience of survivors of the Bataan Death March and their families about the Filipino WWII veterans and the Congressional Gold Medal recently won for them. We were proud to listen to Jim Diego from Broadway Barkada sing "Lupang Hinirang," the Philippine National Anthem for the first time in the opening ceremony. By sharing ourselves and our stories from our veterans, we helped put the "Bataan' in the "Bataan Memorial Death March." We are now hard at work to identify the veterans and their families who are eligible for this honor their service so rightfully deserves, and to raise the funds necessary to make sure that they will be able to receive the medal they have earned.
Taking part in the 14 mile "Honorary March" through the hot desert terrain of the White Sands Missile Range that weekend was literally a painful reminder for me of the sacrifice those soldiers made to preserve democracy. It also reminded me that our march was nothing compared to what the actual marchers went through 75 years ago. When I think of the political struggles we now find ourselves in and the lessons I learned from the Bataan Memorial Death March, two things become crystal clear for me: 1) Democracy is tough, and preserving it is even tougher; and 2) Engaging in political debate by fighting for the world we want to see is the very promise of democracy in action and the legacy of what they fought and died for.
I have marched for many causes over the years. As a college student, I marched for farmworkers’ rights, and for ownership of our own educations. As a gay man and the son of immigrants, I have marched for equality and justice for those whom our democracy has left by the wayside. The soldiers that we remember on this anniversary of the Bataan Death March, Filipino and American alike, may have marched a very different path, but they made my path possible, and for that I am eternally grateful.