FALLEN HEROES TO ACKNOWLEDGE

            Without our heroes from the past who have sacrificed their lives, we wouldn’t be here today. We wouldn’t have freedom for our country. Our soldiers offer their lives for the sake of our country. They serve in order to keep our land safe. They face all the risks they encounter just to protect our country. And for that, our heroes who lost their lives during the World War II deserve to be honored.

            Bataan Day, also called as Araw ng Kagitingan or Heroes Day. It is celebrated on April 9 every year to commemorate the heroism of Filipino soldiers during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines in the time of World War II, Battle of Bataan in 1942, in which the Philippines fell to the Japanese. It is a legal holiday in the Philippines; it is a day where schools and office are off in respect to the death of our heroes.

            At dawn of April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King, Jr. of the United States Army was forced to surrender more than 76,000 Filipino, Chinese and American soldiers to the Japanese. It was the first major land battle for the Americans in World War II. The force on Bataan was one of the most devastating military defeats in American history – not to mention, this was the largest number of army under American command to ever surrender. The Japanese troops then decided to force these soldiers to walk 150 kilometers to Camp O’Donnell in San Fernando Pampanga. Over 20,000 of prisoners died on this march – called as the “Bataan Death March”, wherein these soldiers died from starvation, exhaustion, dehydration, and various kinds of diseases before reaching the camp.

            In memory of this, veterans from the World War II parades in many cities across the Philippines. The event takes place at the Mt. Samat Shrine in Bataan, which is dedicated to honor the heroism and sacrifice of the Filipino and American troops during the second world war.

            To wrap it all up, although, the Japanese may have won the battle in WW2, we should always be reminded of, and keep in memory the heroism and sacrifices that the soldiers did for our country. Every hero leaves a mark in history, and I am proud as a Filipino, that our soldiers who served and fought during the war were in fact brave and patriotic.

 

References:

https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Bataan+Day

https://tinyurl.com/mountsamatntlshrine

https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/philippines/the-day-of-valor

https://tinyurl.com/PHandUS-Bataan

https://tinyurl.com/bataandayposter

https://tinyurl.com/bataanday-history

https://tinyurl.com/bataanday-dayofvalor