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Episode #729 of Hometown Heroes, airing April 15-18, 2022, reflects on the 80th anniversary of the Bataan Death March through the memories of five men who were there when it began. Over the past week, commemorations were held in several locations within the United States, and in the Philippines, honoring the sacrifices of the approximately 60,000 – 80,000 American and Filipino prisoners who were forced to walk over 60 miles with little to no food or water in April, 1942.

The Bataan Legacy Historical Society, headquartered in California, is one of the non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving the history of the march, its victims, and its survivors, many of whom later died in captivity. No U.S. state had more men on the march than New Mexico, with more than 1,800. The Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New Mexico is dedicated to preserving their legacy in many ways, including annual observances in Albuquerque’s Bataan Memorial Park.

Albuquerque’s Bataan Memorial Park