The Defenders Of Bataan & Corregidor Final Destination

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Capas, Tarlac and it's History

The shrine, located in a 54-hecatre property in Brgy. O' Donnell, Capas, Tarlac was the first prison camp for the men who survived the "Death March" in the hands of the Japanese during the last world war in 1942. The Camp O' Donnell Memorial Monument was built by the organization known as "The Battling Bastards of Bataan" to honor the Americans and Filipinos who died at Camp O' Donnell, while prisoners of the Japanese. The Cement Cross is a replica of the original cement cross built by the POWs. The monument is adjacent to the memorial for the Philippine Army dead. The "Cross" was built as a memorial to the thousands who died in that camp. It is as much a part of Bataan as the participants in that battle. The inscription on the base of the "Cross" reads "Omnia Pro Patria": All For Country. On the wall behind the "Cross" are inscribed the names of the men who died at Camp O' Donnell. The original "Cement Cross" is now on display in the National Prisoner of War Museum, at the Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, GA. It was brought to this country by Bataan survivors. An outdoor nook features a wall inscribed with the names of the fallen Americans. An adjacent museum called Defender's Hall consists of a modest collection of photos that document the Death March and travails of POWs in prison camps. It has preserved one of the remnants of wartime atrocities - a boxcar that transported survivors of the Death March from San Fernando, Pampanga to Capas. Measuring six feet long, eight feet wide and six feet high, it had once been a freigh car of the Manila Railroad Company before the war and could fit only 50-60 people. But Japanese soldiers forcibly squeezed in 150-160 using rifle butts and bayonets. The captives, whose only source of ventilation was a slit on the door, suffocated in the virtual over under the tropical heat. Many of them died in their upright positions, their bodies giving up on constricted space which had been polluted with excrement, urine and vomit. A 70-meter obelisk, built to offset the grim history of Capas, symbolizes peace among Filipinos, the Japanese and Americans.

Death March Box Car

The car, under the sweltering sun, rapidly became an oven, and men suffocated in the heat. Those afflicted with dysentery could not control their defecation and soon the floor of the car was filthy with excrement, urine and vomit. Many died where they stood in the boxcar.

This boxcar is the last known surviving freight car of its kind, and is a mute witness to the human sacrifice and heroism of all those who were victims of the Bataan Death March. It serves as memorial to the horrors of war and to man’s inhumanity to his fellow man.


Heroes Name Wall

On April 9, 2003, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, together with US Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone and Japanese Ambassador Kojiro Takano, inaugurated the Wall of Heroes Memorial. History professor Ricardo T. Jose, in cooperation with the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, validated the authenticity of the lists from which the names on this wall were culled.

Defenders Hall

The Defenders Hall is a museum named after the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. It is one of the features of the Shrine. It contains war memorabilia, old photographs, and art works by Daniel H. Dizon. It was unveiled on April 10, 2011.

On October 9, 1996, President Fidel V. Ramos signed into appear in Republic Act No. 8221. Pursuant to the provisions of RA 8221, it called for the improve of the Capas National Shrine as a memorial, when a monument and proceed facilities dedicated to the memory of those who were incarcerated or died in the Capas Camp during the second World War: provided, that said memorial shall consist of an place where a tree should be planted in memory of the twenty-five thousand (25,000) Filipino and six thousand (6,000) American soldiers who died in the camp: provided, additional, that the long-lasting areas in the shrine shall be converted into a mini-forest. (Section 2)

In 1940, the Capas National Shrine was usual as Camp ODonnel as cantonment center for the military training of the Filipino youth. As ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it became the cantonment and mobilization middle of the 71st Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army. After the Fall of Bataan, it became a captivation camp for the POWs. When the Second World War, it became share of the Clark Air Base Military Reservation. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan, it was turned on intensity of to the Philippine admin upon April 9, 1982. By virtue of Proclamation No. 842 issued upon December 7, 1991 by President Corazon C. Aquino, it was declared as Capas National Shrine.

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Nine kilometers away from Capas National Shrine is Death March Memorial Shrine. It was from this location that the Japanese Imperial Army unloaded their prisoners of war from train boxcars to commence the final stage of the Death March. But for those who perished during the hellish ride, they were cruelly dumped. An inverted V-shape structure serves as a memorial for those who died during the Death Ride. Under the structure is a montage that depicts a scene during the Bataan Death March.

“These men were the flowers of our youth. They typified the courage and loyalty of our race. We can never forget them. We will never forget them. Their heroic sacrifice set a measure of fidelity to our flags and institutions for this and future generations.”

President Manuel A. Roxas, November 30, 1946

Disclaimer: Photos are not mine.

This article revised and summarize by Ma. Era Cecilia