A Monument of the Braves
It is the longest march in the history of the Philippines and a bloody one at that. Some 60,000 American and Filipino soldiers walked to death in between railway stations from Bataan to Capas, Tarlac after the fall of Coredigor, the United Allies headquarte5rs in the Pacific during the World War II.
And for the brave souls who fought against the Japanese in the ‘40s, the Philippine government has built a monument that will remind younger generations of this important event in history.
The Capas National Shrine, located in Barangay Aranguren, Capas, Tarlac, stands as a memorial for all the soldiers who were part of the famous Death March. President Aquino proclaimed the shrine as a national memorial in December 7, 1991. It has 54 hectares of parkland, 35 hectares of which have been planted with rows of trees to represent each of the deceased.
According to Wikipedia, in April 9, 2003, a new memorial wall and obelisk was unveiled. The 70-meter obelisk towers above the grounds of the former interment camp. The obelisk is surrounded by a black marble wall engraved with the names of the Filipinos and Americans known to have died at the location. On the three large wall segments that almost encircle the obelisk, there are statistics about the total numbers of prisoners and deaths, together with poems for peace. Nearby is a small museum and a smaller monument built by an American group calling themselves the "Battling Bastards of Bataan", honoring the American dead of the period.
Today, every 9th of April the President of the Republic of the Philippines pays tribute to the brave souls of World War II. The government holds simultaneous memorial rites at the Capas National Shrine and in Mt. Samat, Bataan were a similar obelisk was earlier built.
And for the brave souls who fought against the Japanese in the ‘40s, the Philippine government has built a monument that will remind younger generations of this important event in history.
The Capas National Shrine, located in Barangay Aranguren, Capas, Tarlac, stands as a memorial for all the soldiers who were part of the famous Death March. President Aquino proclaimed the shrine as a national memorial in December 7, 1991. It has 54 hectares of parkland, 35 hectares of which have been planted with rows of trees to represent each of the deceased.
According to Wikipedia, in April 9, 2003, a new memorial wall and obelisk was unveiled. The 70-meter obelisk towers above the grounds of the former interment camp. The obelisk is surrounded by a black marble wall engraved with the names of the Filipinos and Americans known to have died at the location. On the three large wall segments that almost encircle the obelisk, there are statistics about the total numbers of prisoners and deaths, together with poems for peace. Nearby is a small museum and a smaller monument built by an American group calling themselves the "Battling Bastards of Bataan", honoring the American dead of the period.
Today, every 9th of April the President of the Republic of the Philippines pays tribute to the brave souls of World War II. The government holds simultaneous memorial rites at the Capas National Shrine and in Mt. Samat, Bataan were a similar obelisk was earlier built.
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