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On April 9, 1942, sixty years ago, General King
surrendered the American forces on the Bataan
Peninsula. Many of our friends died from
stabbings, starvation, and beatings, as we had
been taken Japanese prisoners-of-war. Many
stories have been written about the Bataan Death
March as well as the defense of Corregidor.
Those that survived endured even more torture
and were forced to work in coal and copper
mines, factories, and shipping docks in remote
places throughout the Philippines and in Japan
and Manchuria.
After three years of hard and devoted work by
the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New
Mexico, our dream has finally come true. The
task was not easy. When the Bataan Veterans
Organization, Albuquerque Chapter, was notified
that the memorial dedicated to the Bataan
veterans was slated to be removed from Bataan
Memorial Park and placed at the newly
constructed Phil Chacon Veterans Park, we
mobilized to save and preserve it.
We worked with a class from the graduate program
in Community and Regional Planning from the
University of New Mexico and got a moratorium on
any new construction at the Park. We used the
time to work with the City Parks and Recreation
Department, the City Mayor and our local state
representatives to put a stop to the removal.
Our efforts were rewarded when the park attained
the status of a State Historic Park, the only
such designation ever given to a city park that
is dedicated to war veterans.
Four years ago, with the help of many friends,
the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New
Mexico was formed. Our first president was
Michael Montoya, New Mexico State Treasurer and
son of a 200th Coast Artillery survivor, Orlando
Montoya. Today, Dr. Adélamar N. Alcántara is
President and has guided us toward this
auspicious day! Her father, Alejandro Alcántara,
was a Filipino USAFFE survivor of the Bataan
Death March.
I commend and thank all the people for their
efforts. Special thanks goes to our
Vice-President, Bill Overmier, 200th CA(AA)
Battery B, Treasurer Ernest Montoya, 200th CA(AA)
Battery A, the Foundation’s Secretary,
Georgianna Peña-Kues, as well as the rest of the
Board.
As I have said many times before, I want my
children, my grandchildren and my great
grandchildren to come here and find my name and
say, “This was my dad, my grandfather, my great
grandfather...”
Agapito ‘Gap’ E. Silva, 515th CA(AA) Battery D
Commander, Bataan Veterans Organization
Albuquerque Chapter |
