The Bataan Death March
On Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked the Philippines. Scotty Satterwhite was captured at Corregidor Harbor in Manilla Bay and became a Prisoner of War on May 7, 1942. He was held under inhuman conditions for three and a half years until Oct. 9, 1945. He was first reported Missing in Action on June 10, 1942. Satterwhite survived the horrific Bataan Death March. Thousands died during the march. The purpose of the march was to move 72,000 prisoners of war from the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula to Camp O’Donnell, “Camp Rokuroshi,” in the north. The prisoners had to march under horrific conditions in intense heat, no water, little or no food, no toileting, deadly circumstances for about 55 to 66 miles depending on where they joined. Then they were jammed into a stifling hot boxcar on the railroad followed by another march of about seven or eight miles to the camp. The grueling march took about five to ten days. Those who fell behind were bayoneted, shot, or beheaded. Some were buried alive or beaten to death. Many more died at the camp.Satterwhite was imprisoned at Camp O’Donnell also known as Camp Rokuroshi while in the Philippines and in Osaka Main Camp, Chikko Osaka, Japan. Osaka is about thirty miles from Kyoto.
05/17/2023 12:00 AM