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Home  Foreword Introduction The Road to Bataan The Bataan Death March The San Fernando Train Ride Camp O'Donnell Clark Field Concentration Camp Bilibid Prison The Hell Ships Japan The Nomachi Express Camp Nomachi Surrender, Liberation, and Repatriation The Homecoming Epilogue In Memoriam Extra: Bataan Death March Route Map Extra: Philippine Department of Tourism Extra: Star Tribune: March of Time ("Article of Interest" for 4-6 Grade Basic Skills Reading Test Prep) Extra: Footprints in Courage (A Book About Alf Larson and the Bataan Death March) Extra: Alf's Letter to God Post/View Comments |
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The Bataan Death March
What was the Oriental Sun Treatment?During the day, at some point, the Japanese would call a halt. We would go to an open field and sit down. We just sat there, the hot sun beating down on us like mad. After an hour or so, they would get us up and we would start walking again. Was there any shade? If there was any shade, the Japanese found it. Guards still walked around where we were. You could have slipped away any time, but where would you have gone? 
The Japanese probably wanted to rest. Did you have anything to keep the sun off you?We had no shade whatsoever! I was fortunate because I had my helmet on. They let you wear it? Yes. Some other soldiers had helmets but many others were bareheaded. Didn't everybody get terribly sunburned? We were used to it. If you didn't have a hat on, though, it was tough. Did the Japanese issue different clothing? We wore the same clothes we had on when we were captured. As you walked, were the Japanese constantly yelling and pushing or did they just walk along with everyone else? It depended on us. If we got below a certain walking speed, they would start hollering. As long as you kept a fairly decent pace, they didn't say or do anything. It wasn't a fast pace, just kind of shuffling along. The last two days we walked in close formation. The Japanese weren't too keen on a forced march? No. They had to walk along with us.
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