(1) By April 1942, nearly 12,000 soldiers from the United States and 67,000 soldiers from the Philippines based at Bataan, Philippines, had bravely and staunchly fought off enemy attacks for more than 4 months under strenuous conditions that resulted in starvation and disease.
(2) By maintaining their position and engaging the enemy for as long as they did, the soldiers at Bataan were able to redefine the momentum of the war and provide other United States and Allied forces throughout the Pacific with time to plan and prepare for subsequent crucial battles.
(3) On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward King surrendered the soldiers from the United States and the Philippines into enemy hands.
(4) Over the next week, the soldiers from the United States and the Philippines were taken prisoner and forced to march 65 miles without any food, water, or medical care in what came to be know as the Bataan Death March.
(5) During this forced march, thousands of soldiers died, either from starvation, lack of medical care, sheer exhaustion, or abuse by their captors.
(6) Within the first 40 days at Camp O’Donnell, 1,600 more prisoners from the United States died.
(7) The conditions at the camp were substandard, leading to increased disease and malnutrition among the prisoners.
(8) On June 6, 1942, the prisoners from the United States were transferred to Cabanatuan, north of Camp O’Donnell.
(9) In July 1942, all prisoners from the Philippines were paroled.
(10) The prisoners who remained in the camps suffered from continued mistreatment, malnutrition, lack of medical care, and horrific conditions.
(11) The prisoners who remained in these camps were liberated in 1945.
(12) Over the subsequent decades, these prisoners formed support groups, were honored in local and State memorials, and told their story to all people of the United States.
(13) Many of these soldiers have now passed away, and those who remain continue to tell their story.
(14) The people of the United States are forever indebted to these men for--
(A) the courage they demonstrated during the first 4 months of World War II in fighting against enemy soldiers; and
(B) the perseverance they demonstrated during 3 years of capture, imprisonment, and atrocious conditions, while maintaining dignity, honor, patriotism, and loyalty.
U.S. Congress - Text of S.768 as Introduced in Senate A bill to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the soldiers from the United States who...
