December 7th, 1941

Most of us know about the attack on Pearl Harbor and it is rightly remembered by the nation but something else happened on December 7th that is hardly ever remembered. The Japanese also attacked the Philippines on that day as well. Because the  American troops there were ill equipped, outnumbered and unable to be resupplied and starving they had to surrender after 3 months. The result was horrific.   Around a quarter of the American and Philipino soldiers died or were killed on the way to the prison camps.  Maybe half of the survivors died or were killed in the prison camps in the succeeding years. They were finally liberated in early 1945.

The 200th Coast Artillery, a National guard unit from New Mexico, was sent to the Philippines  in 1941 and whose members experienced the full horrors of the battles, the death March and the camps. They have never been properly recognized for their suffering. There are probably only about 30 left alive here in New Mexico. They were and are heroes.