The document summarizes the horrific Bataan Death March that occurred in 1942, where around 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers surrendered to the Japanese after the Battle of Bataan. The Japanese forced the prisoners to march over 60 miles with little food or water over 9 days to the Camp O'Donnell prison camp. Thousands died from disease, heat stroke, or were executed along the way for failing to keep up. By the end of the march, around 10,000 men had been killed, with survivors often committing suicide later due to nightmares of the event.

1. The Bataan Death March

2. Presented By: Brian Schachter and Becca Kehs, two tenth graders trying to inform the masses about an important historical event in a creative and fun way. Enjoy!

3. April 9 th , 1942 75,000 Filipino and US soldiers surrendered to the Japanese The Japanese had a three-phase plan to get these prisoners into camps.

4. Phase One: March the prisoners 19 miles to Balanga Phase Two: Load the prisoners into 200 trucks to transport them 33 miles to a train station Phase Three: Prisoners march 8 more miles to Camp O'Donnell

5. The route the prisoners were forced to take.

6. Before these phases were carried out, most prisoners were searched and stripped of all their personal belongings Any soldier who had a Japanese souvenir was immediately executed, as the Japanese assumed that they must have killed another soldier in order to get it. Most of the soldiers had either found or bought these items.

7. The Japanese had anticipated around 25,000 prisoners. Instead they were faced with trying to find room for over 75,000 starving and malaria-stricken prisoners

8. Only 27,000 of the prisoners were “combat effective,” and three fourths of them were affected by malaria. The walk mentioned in phase one should only have taken one day… It took three days for many.

9. By the end of the nine day march, most of the diseased and grieving soldiers had been forced to march over 60 miles from Bataan to their new prison of Camp O’Donnell The few who rode on trucks for Phase Two still had to endure over 25 miles of marching.

10. Prisoners were beaten at random, and were also often denied the good and water they were promised. Anyone who could not keep up with the marching column were executed or left to die; the sides of the road became littered with dead bodies and people crying for help. Some men, desperate for a drink of water, broke ranks when they spotted artesian wells that loomed like oases. Many were shot dead, others beheaded or buried alive in graves they had been forced to dig.

12. People at home were outraged by what they heard was going on overseas, and many pledged to do something about it.

13. Although there is no precise record of how many people were killed during the March, it is known that approximately 70,000 men went into it. At least 10,000 men were killed from disease, heat stroke, and execution. Survivors of the March often committed suicide years later from the reoccurring nightmares of the pain. John Emerick was one of 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers captured by the Japanese.

14. This is the only memorial dedicated to those who were lost in the Battle of Bataan, and the prisoners taken thereafter. It is located in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

15. We Hope You Enjoyed Our Presentation. Please check out the other sites our classmates have created.