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April 31, 1942
THE SURRENDER OF BATAAN!
As the situation on Bataan was very solemn, the soldiers tried to have some short moments of fun. The pilot, Lt. Colonel William Dyess, and Lt. Juanita Redmond, ANC, recalled a celebration in Mariveles the pilots threw in early March. The food for the festivities came through an extensive bartering system the units established. To overtake the time between battles, soldiers played volleyball and in the hospital, the chaplains put on entertainment nights for the patients. But generally, the chaplains were doing ministerial duties and soldiers were looking for food. The two hospitals on Bataan were supposed to be safe but the Japanese bombed them. The first bombing was on accident and the Japanese apologized for it. The later bombings were intentional, even with the visible Red Cross. According to the 1929 Geneva Convention, hospitals were not to be attacked.
Troops on Bataan could not hold out much longer. The Japanese aggravated their attacks in late March and early April. On April 7, the nurses in Bataan were evacuated to Corregidor. Before it fell, some would make it to Australia. Others were by no means seen again.
In spite of the serious situation, MacArthur sent orders to Wainwright, which said: “I am utterly opposed under any circumstances or conditions to the ultimate capitulation of this command. If food fails, you will prepare and execute an attack upon the enemy.” President Franklin Roosevelt settled with MacArthur and issued hid own “no surrender” orders. Wainwright promoted the orders to King on April 4.
While the U.S. troops were undecided, due to their poor health, the Japanese were well built due to reinforcements. On April 3, they fulfilled a complete attack. By April 8, the Americans and Filipinos could not fight any longer. “As the Japanese