Collegiate Times

The War Memorial pylons were surrounded by candlelight Monday night as Virginia Tech students gathered to remember the Bataan Death March.

Candlelight vigils took places in several areas around the country last night, which marked the 65th anniversary of the march. In Virginia, vigils also took place in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, and Virginia Beach.

“This is the first vigil to be held at (Tech) specifically to remember the Bataan Death March,” said Brian Gerardo, Education and Advocacy Chair of the Asian American Student Union at Virginia Tech. “We have held vigils in the past to honor the Filipino soldiers who fought in World War II, including one last Veteran’s Day, but this is the first one to focus on Bataan.”

On April 9, 1942, thousands of Filipino and American prisoners of war were forced to march from Bataan to a Camp O’Donnell, a Japanese POW camp 90 miles away. During this journey, many POWs lost their lives due to harsh conditions and abuse. Filipino and American soldiers experienced oppressive heat and exhaustion and were often denied adequate food and water and randomly beaten as they marched.

“When you look in an American history textbook, you won’t see that Filipino soldiers were alongside Americans during the March,” said Gerardo. “Thousands of Filipino troops joined with the Americans in protecting the Philippines from takeover by Japan.”

Several speakers addressed the gathered students during the one-hour vigil, including Omar Maglalang, sophomore communication major and Education and History Chair of the Filipino American Student Association (FASA) at Virginia Tech.

“75,000 soldiers from the Philipines and the United States were led through the most treacherous situations known to man. During their march, many died from heat stroke, malaria, hunger, and dehydration,” said Maglalang. “Although two-thirds made it through the march, five to ten thousand Filipinos and about 650 US POWs died.”

The students in attendance were moved by the event, and many stressed the importance of remembering the Bataan Death March and those who lost their lives.

“As you have heard, there are things we can do to honor those who died. We can spread the word and talk to Congressmen and women to push for equal rights for Filipino veterans,” said FASA president Danny Lintot, a junior Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise major. “Those who died deserve to be remembered.”

One of the aims of the vigil was to draw attention to a national cause concerning rights for Filipino veterans. House Resolution 760 has been in Congress for several years now, and lawmakers are finally starting to take action. The bill grants equal rights to Filipino soldiers that fight alongside American soldiers.

When Filipino soldiers fought in World War II under President Roosevelt, they were granted the same rights as American soldiers. However once the war ended, Congress passed a resolution denying these benefits to Filipinos specifically. Today, the resolution to reinstate these rights is gaining momentum.

Gerardo’s grandfather is a Bataan survivor, so April 9 is always a special day for his family. This personal connection is why he and many other members of FASA support the “Full Equity Now Campaign”, an effort to secure equal rights for Filipino Veterans.

“We want to make students aware of the campaign that SAVE (Student Action for Veterans Equity) is organizing with other veterans’ groups to bring equality to Filipino Soldiers,” said Gerardo. “We want to raise awareness about this legislation.”