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Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Memories of a Death March survivor
By Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre
TODAY is Araw ng Kagitingan. April 9 is a special day to the Filipinos especially to the veterans of World War II as it marks the fall of Bataan and Corregidor. (The national holiday, however, was observed last Monday per proclamation by the President).
War veteran Legionnaire Romeo R.D. Fernandez Sr. is already 85 years old but still he can vividly recall the gruesome Death March in April 9, 1942, which started from Abucay in Bataan down to Capaz, Pampanga. He was only 19 years old when he entered the Philippine Army on June 10, 1940, first as a band musician handling a bugle. He became Prisoner of War from said date to August 27, 1942.
In last year's observance of the Araw ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat, Dambana ng Magiting, Bataan, Fernandez (representing the war veterans) delivered a speech. The guest of honor and speaker was Pres. Gloria Arroyo.
Fernandez remarked: "History has recorded the story of those dark days ... THE DEATH MARCH, the brutality in Capaz, the Concentrations Camps, the humiliation of the prisoners of war by the ruthless conquering nation. The Fall of Bataan, or Bataan and Corregidor Day as many prefer to call this day, should be a memorial day. A day of solemn reflection of the suffering and endurance by the brave and fighting men who died, and those who survived (and lived) so that freedom can prevail."
Survivor's account
Fernandez said April 9 would not be easily forgotten by the Filipino and American defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. He further stated in his speech: "The valiant two fighting men of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) which inducted the Philippine Scouts (PS) and the Philippine Army, heroically stood against the overwhelming superior forces of the Japanese Imperial 14th ETC Army at the bloody ground of Abucay, Bataan Peninsula. The firing line.
It was a manifestation of the last ounce of human endurance. It was on this date too that Major Gen. Edward P. King Jr., Battery B' 24 FA in Fort Stoosenburg, Pampanga, the Philippine Scouts, and the 26th Cavalry (PS) surrendered his command in Abucay, Bataan.
The bastion of Corregidor was left alone for another month. The days that followed this sad day were more agonizing. The Filipino people wept, the American people were awakened to the realization of initial setbacks of the war, with the fall of Bataan and Corregidor brought valuable months of time for the United States of America to master its strength, while in Australia General Douglas MacArthur prepares for his return to the Philippines, as he promised "I Shall Return".
Follows is Fernandez' personal account: "On April 2, 1942, we walked for about three days until we reached San Fernando, Pampanga. There we were loaded like cattle into small freight cars and taken to Camp O'Donnell. At some point before arriving to our destination, we were carted out of those confining cars and forced to walk the rest of the way. Those were the days of hell and torture."
"I witnessed how some of my companions suffer death either from a bullet or bayonet while on our long trek to the O'Donnell Concentration Camp in Capaz, Tarlac. The rest of us would get beaten-up, kicked or butted with our captors' rifles for no reason at all," he disclosed.
"On April 9, 1942, I was sick with malaria, dysentery and beri-beri. I could not walk but nonetheless thought to be in fair condition by our captors. After our morning exercises, we were given a ration of gruel that failed to satisfy the hunger I felt from the morning's activity.
"Despite my compromised health, I was assigned to burial detail. The 100 of us left in our group were sent to bury the dead prisoners, which were many, and clean the ground of fecal waste and other dead bodies. Some of the sick men had crawled under the infirmary hospital and died. Dysentery was an epidemic that claimed 50 to 100 of our men daily. We laid the bodies side by side, as tightly as we could pack them in a deep hole. Each hole contains 10 to 15 bodies. Their dog tags, their only means of identification, were placed inside their mouths.
"After hours of laying bodies, we retired to our respective houses - each one housing 100 men. There we were fed our second ration of gruel which is about as satisfying as the first.
Until we were taken into oblivion and sleep, our exhausted bodies endured the two inches wide bamboo we slept on, with white lice feasting on us, the stench of the dead bodies we had buried attracting swarms of flies which constantly surrounded us," Fernandez bared.
"We must treat this day as a day of thanksgiving. The prize with which the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor have given our children and us is the life we enjoy today. It is a day to remember the hardships, the fears, the uncertainty of the Great War in the Pacific. This specific date brings us back the painful memories, but we plan to keep retelling our experiences. I don't want this story to die, we want it to live ... so that we will not let it happen again," he further stated.
On January 5, 1981, Fernandez founded the local American Legion post, the M/Sgt. Valentin Carbonell Post No. 66 (he named it after his friend). The American Legion is a leading advocate for veterans' rights and benefits.
On November 17, 1988, The American Legion conferred to Fernandez the Prisoner of War Medal for honorable service while a prisoner of war. He and his wife flew to the US to receive said medal, he and other war veterans were were accorded military honor. Fernandez was earlier given recognition for being the first Pangasinense Legionnaire to have reached 50 years (continuous membership with The American Legion).
(April 9, 2003 issue)
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