After the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded the island of Luzon in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, American and Filipino forces fought for three months around the Bataan Peninsula before finally surrendering.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt then asked General Douglas MacArthur to leave his men behind, and the General made a vow: "I shall return."
More than 70,000 troops remained in the Philippines and were captured by the enemy, of which about 500 men were sent to the Cabanatuan prison camp.
The atrocious conditions the prisoners of war endured for years prompted the Allied forces to plan a rescue operation, and a group of US Scouts and Rangers, along with loyal Filipino guerilla fighters, were then assembled to retrieve the Americans.
Commander Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci would say to his troops: "We don't leave one of them behind. Not a single one! We attack tomorrow night. I think the date of 30 January 1945 will be long remembered. Go with God-and bring our boys home. They have not been forgotten."
- As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
