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The
Regiment
The men of the New Mexico National
Guard were brothers, cousins, friends, and compadres.
Learn why young men joined the New Mexico National
Guard, unaware of the dangers that lay beyond New
Mexico and their training camp at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Photo: New Mexico State Archives |
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The
Siege of Bataan
Armed with weapons leftover from
World War I and lacking food, supplies, and an understanding
of the enemy, the men of the 200th Coast Artillery
Unit were unprepared for the Japanese invasion of
the Philippine Islands. Learn about the Philippines
and the first ground battle for Americans in World
War II.
Photo: MacArthur Memorial Library |
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Survival
The Bataan Death March began when
General Edward P. King surrendered the 78,000 U.S.
and Filipino soldiers to the Japanese in April of
1941. The brutality of that march continued in the
hellish prisoner of war camps where disease, starvation,
and beatings were a way of life.
Photo: Battling Bastards of Bataan |
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Liberation
The war with Japan raged across
the Pacific and ended with two atomic bombs that
were developed in New Mexico. At long last, the
surviving POWs finally began their journey home.
Photo: National Archives |
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Memorial
Today memorials to Bataan veterans
can be found in quiet parks and along busy highways.
These memorials tell the lessons of Bataan: the
value of home and country, the strength of the human
spirit, and the importance of preparedness.
Photo: RETA/Stu Munson-McGee |
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