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I'agy8-Sun-Ntfv\$-UsCtiii:C!. New Mcxwn-Sumhy, April II, IV76Bataan Memorial PlannedBy MARVIN TESSNEER Sun-News Staff WriterPlans are being made to establish «n memorial la I he 20Wh Coastal Artillery, Anti*Aircraft Regiment, il was announced Friday, the 34th anniversary of the 2001h's surrender on Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines.The announcement was made by two survivors of Ihc Bataan Death March, Ruben Flores and Abel Escalante, and Col. Allison F.H. Scott tret. Army) who is the service officer with theUnited Veterans Council of Dona Ana County. The council is made up of six veterans organizations.The memorial will be sel up in the First National Bank Tower. 11 will include a special tribute to Col. Charles Sage, a former Doming newspaperman, who commanded to 200th during its resistance to the Japanese forces.Sage and his men, including Flores and Escalante, were prisoners of war for 42 months, or V2 years. They were held incaptivity or in forced labor in the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.Sage, who died in 1973, was promoted through the ranks on his return to this country to major general of the New Mexico National Guard. Scott noted.On Monday. Scott and Flores arc planning to go to the National Guard Headquarters in Santa Felo collect some Sage personal belongings, which include his medals, for the memorial here. They hope to acquire some of his field equipment he had during the Bataan campaign, they said.Scott is chairman of the Bataan Memorial Committee, and Flores and Escalante make up the rest of Ihc plamming committee.A large porlion of the 2Wr.li was made up of New Mexico men. The 2(KJlh was actually a reorganized National Guard unit that had previously been calvary, engineer and field artillery outfits, according to records.There arc 10 more known Bataan survivors in this community: David Johns,David Tellez, Julio Barela, Lorenzo Bancgas, MarcosCardenas, Donald C. Harris, Cliff Martinez, Oscar Crow son, Bill McAtiliffe and Herbert G. T yson■Flores and Escalante said they also have information that another Bataan survivor,named Byrne, works in I.as Cruccs.Tliey stressed that they would like to contact I he man, or any other survivors in the area.Il was on April 8, 1942, or April 9 in the United States,when the 200th, after fighting the enemy forces since Dec. 7, finally surrendered. Scottemphasized thal Ihe men had run out of ammunition, food and medicine and many cf Ihem were ill—too ill to resist any longer.Known as “the first to return fire to the enemy and the last to lay down their arms/’ these men were pushed to the end of the peninsula before they gave in. All other American forces on the peninsula had surrendered before then, Scoll pointed out.A1 the end of their action, Ihe men of the 200th were trying lo hold off Ihe enemy charges with 45-calibcr, hand held automatic maehineguns and the old 30-00 bolt-aclion Springfield rifles, the veterans recalled.The last pocket of American resistance was the island fortress of Corregidor, where the forces surrendered on May C. This was when LI. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwriglil sent his message to President F.l. Roosevelt:“...with broken heart and head bowed in sadness but not in shame. I report thal today 1 must arrange terms for the surrender of the fortified islands of Manila Boy. Please soy to Ihe mil ion that my troops and 1 have accomplished .nil that is humanly possible and that we have upheld the bust I radii ions with profound regrets and with continued pride in my gallant Iroops, I go to meet the Japanese commander.” According to the Balaan Veterans Organization Bicentennial Convention booklet, Ihe 200th was shipped to the Philippines in the fall of 1941 tc provide anti-aircraft support lo Clark Field and Fort Slotens-berg.Sage led 1,800 New Mexico men to the Philippines, and 800 returned. And of the casually figure, less than 20 were frombattle action, the booklet recorded.The booklet also pointed outthat even though the 200th didnot have adequate strength, practice or ammunition, it gave good accounl of itself. The first rounds I hey fired were in a dual combat, at enemy aircraft.The United States was still building up its forces iii Ihe South Pacific, and the 2CCth, fresh from Fort Bliss, was pushed into war with lit lie guidance and direction.Although the 200th’s shells were fused for strafing aircraft it still recorded five confirmed enemy bombers brought down, Ihc Balaan booklet reported.The 20Dth Iroops also were called on for other services, setting up anti-aircraft guns in other area, training green Filipinos and manning self-propelled guns.Two weeks after Ihe war started the enemy landed troops on Luzon. The 200th was assigned the mission of covering the retreat of the Northern Luzon Force into Bataan with its batteries.Thai action pul off the surrender lor about three months. The enemy received reinforcements and kept up Ihe pressuio witt artillery, aircraft and (arks. It was estimated that 70 per cent of the men had malaria. Many more were suffering from dysenlary.When fnort ran low Die pack mules were butchered, and the iroops started hunting the jungles lor monkeys, carabao, iguanas and snakes, the booklet related.Anti-aircraft crews were ordered lo destroy their equipment, and they were reorganized into nn infantry unit to hang on to the end.
Newspaper Details
Las Cruces Sun News
Las Cruces, New Mexico, US
Sun, Apr 11, 1976
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
University O.
NM, USA 12 Aug 2018
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