Three  out  of  four  Filipino soldiers  died as POWs during the Japanese  occupation of the Philippines.   One  of  the concentration  camps  was Camp O’Donnell and one of the U.S. soldiers to die there was ...

"Stand aside, the Scouts are coming."  These simple words reflect a sincere and respectful tribute to  some  of  the finest soldiers ever to serve in the U.S. Army. The Scouts were  the first and  last  of what some  might  call American colonial troops.  Little known outside the  Philippines and  largely  forgotten  by the U.S. Army of which they were a proud part of, the Scouts were soldiers par excellence.

- Colonel John E. Olson (Ret.) 

The 23 Field Artillery (PS) was a small unit (regiment less than one battalion).  Battery A of the first Battalion survived until late January,1942, when it was destroyed to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands.  It  had been used effectively to slow Japanese advances beginning 23  December 1941.  Batteries B and C had been destroyed by Japanese  counter battery fire in early January 1942.  Surviving 23rd Field Artillery  Battalion (PS) personnel were then attached to the 91st Field Artillery of the Philippine Army.

- Philippine Scouts Heritage Society

"Captain  Reeder, an American medical office at O'Donnell, testified to me later that, between the time the men arrived at the camp-about the third  week in April-and the  end of July,  20,000 of the  45,000 Filipino and 1400 of  the American troops sent  there died  of starvation, disease, and torture."  

from his book, General Wainwright's Story

2 out of every 3 soldiers alive at the time of the Bataan surrender did not live to see the end of the war.  Almost 48,000 of the 64,000 Filipino and about 12,000 of the 24,000 American troops died during the Japanese occupation.  Most of them died as POWs.*

Music by Michael Giacchino                           Next