"A Jap officer gave us a little talk about what we could expect. He told us that Americans were dogs and that they were going to be treated like dogs... That's when I began to realize we had big problems."
1st Sergeant Turner

"The captain say you are his enemies; Japan and America will be enemies forever. Therefore you will be treated as enemy captives, not as honorable prisoners of war."
Translation of Japanese Commander of Camp O' Donnell

Above: This is a photo of the Allied soldiers on the Death March. There are Japanese gaurds on the side of the road watching. Right: This is a map of the Bataan Peninsula and the surrounding areas. As can be seen by the path shown, the march started around the Marivelles area and proceeded up to Camp O' Donnell. It was a distance of approximately 55 miles. The precise distance depended on where the prisoner started the march.

What occurred after the Allied forces surrendered in the Philippines is known by many names: The March, The Relocation March, and Hell. Its most common name is the Bataan Death March. The purpose of this website is to answer a number of questions about the Death March. What did the Allied soldiers experience on the March? Why did the March happen? What happened to the survivors of the march, both in the camps and after Japan's surrender? This website will also focus on the story of my grandfather, Jimmie Kiernan, who experienced the Death March first hand.

This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002.

The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History.