Courage on Bataan and Beyond

by Abel Ortega Jr

Overview

"Courage on Bataan and Beyond" is a comprehensive story about Abel F. Ortega's life during the Bataan Death March and Japanese imprisonment written by his son. Abel will take the reader with him from his childhood days when he would sit in a rocking chair and dream about the Far East to defending the Bataan Peninsula in a last ditch effort to keep the Japanese from taking the Philippines. Abel narrates how his family's prayers and his faith in God helped him to survive the infamous Bataan Death March, three-and-a-half years as a POW and two Hell Ship Voyages. This book will evoke both laughter and tears as one follows Abel from captivity to liberation. In his three-and-a-half years as a POW, he endured near starvation, hard labor, torture and the indescribable and inhumane cruelty from his captors before being set free August 15th, 1945. There were very few POW's who survived the Japanese brutality of Bataan and their following captivity, and of these, not many are still with us. Today at 85, Abel feels his story needs to be told so that the brave soldiers of Bataan will not be forgotten once again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420863840
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	08/30/2005
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

Abel Ortega Jr., the second youngest of seven children of Naomi and Abel F. Ortega, was born in 1964 and raised in San Antonio, Texas. As a child growing up, he would enjoy listening to his father's POW experiences from WWII not fully understanding the true meaning of those stories. As he became a man, he finally understood and realized what his father went through. Those stories brought forth an obligation out of respect for the man he calls his "Hero" to compile his father's experiences in a book so that they would not be forgotten. Those feelings would inspire him to spend two-and-a-half years researching the Prison Camps and Hell Ships. Abel Jr. currently lives in San Antonio with his wife Lorrie and two sons, Justin and Austin.

Read an Excerpt

The men and women of World War II fought and died for our freedom so that we may live in this wonderful country called America. They inspired us with their character, courage under pressure and the determination to succeed. The sacrifices they made cannot be measured or matched. I am proud to say that my father fought bravely and heroically in two wars, World War II & Korea. He did it because he loved his country, flag and the principals they stood for. He believed in duty, honor and country. I truly believe that he is part of the "Greatest Generation".

During World War II in the Philippine Islands, he survived over 5 months of intense and fierce battle engagements with the Japanese Army with little to no food, water, medical supplies and ammunition. The Food on Bataan was almost non-existent. By mid January, they were cut down to half rations and by mid February, they were on less than 1,000 calories a day. That is not enough to keep soldiers healthy and their immune system strong. The Japanese thought they would take the Philippines in a little over a month, but the soldiers of Bataan held out from December 8th, 1941 to April 9th, 1942. Their supply line was cut off because the ships were sunk at Pearl Harbor. The remainder of the supply ships was diverted to Europe by order of President Roosevelt, and Bataan was sacrificed. To make matters worse, the soldiers who fought on Bataan were plagued with tropical diseases, malaria and malnutrition, but they did not give up! They continued to fight with determination; courage and a will to survive that cannot be fully described. As General MacArthur was ordered to leave Bataan and head for Australia, he said "I shall return," but the soldiers did not think it would be three years later. General MacArthur wanted them to fight to the last man and hold the Philippines. These men did not surrender! Lt. General Jonathan Wainwright went against General MacArthur's orders and surrendered them in order to save as many lives as possible due to the condition of the men. Approximately 78,000 American & Filipino soldiers surrendered to the Japanese. This was the first time in American history that a whole army this size had to surrender to an enemy force. These men had fought heroically for so long, and so many good soldiers lives had been lost that the thought of surrendering was traumatic for them. This was an emotionally and psychologically hard decision for some of the men including my father. They were called the "Battling Bastards of Bataan" because they had been forgotten.

My father had never really talked about his experiences in great detail until recently. Some of the stories he has told have brought tears to his eyes. I know it was hard for him to remember some of those painful memories but I feel that they needed to be told so his friends and family can truly understand what he went through and know that war is awful although necessary in some cases. I know the tears he has shed were not just from the memories of his days as a POW, but were also for the dead soldiers and childhood friends he lost.

There were so many POW's who were in different situations that each one has his or her own story about what they saw and what happened to them. Dad and I are going to try and tell you about his experiences and survival of the Bataan Death March, 2 Hell Ship voyages, and 3 ½ years as a Prisoner of War. The story will be based on conversations, videotapes, and audiotapes he has made over the years. There will be some of my thoughts and feelings expressed throughout the book because of how I feel towards my father and the men he fought with. I have done research at the National Archives in Baltimore, Maryland, read countless number of books that have been written by fellow POW's, their sons, daughters, best selling authors, and viewed web sites dedicated to the Hero's of Bataan.