Thank God for Such Men

         Wars are all about love, dedication, violence, death and peace, but we don’t need another one to remind us how to be grateful for the brave souls who have died and sacrificed their lives for our freedom. The people who have lost their lives in war and for the veterans who came from war should be treated with utmost respect and appreciation.

 

          One occasion that celebrates and honor the veterans and the people who died in World War II is the ‘Araw ng Kagitingan’, held every year in the 9th of April. School is canceled and work is off because people would be showing their appreciation and honoring the brave men who have fought in the Battle of Bataan.

          Let’s have a quick dive into history shall we? During the World War II, April 09, 1942, General Edward P. King Jr. was forced to surrender his troops to the Japanese. 76, 000 soldiers who’re Filipino, Chinese and American were held captive by the Japanese troops. The soldiers were forced to walk 90 miles towards Camp O’Donnell in San Fernando. Many soldiers died in this walk, some causes are dehydration, starvation, diseases and by the hands of the Japanese. This brutal march was then called the ‘Bataan Death March’, with over 20,000 men who died. More soldiers also died when they reached Camp O’Donnell.

 

          The Araw ng Kagitingan, also called Day of Valor was an occasion wherein they honor the veterans who fought hard, as well as the soldiers who died back then. I personally think that the downside of these kinds of occasions or holidays is that it brings back bad memories from the war, both for the veterans and civilians affected in the war. But it’s still a good way to show the people’s appreciation and honor the bravery of the soldiers as well as the civilians who made it out of the war.

        It’s like what George S. Patton, Jr. said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived”. We should be grateful that such courageous men lived because without them, we wouldn’t be living like this in the present. We live, we love and we thank you Lord for such a blessing.

 

 

 

 

Resources:

“The Day of Valor in Philippines”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/philippines/araw-ng-kagitingan

“Bataan Death March”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/event/Bataan-Death-March#ref1224943

“The Day of Valor in Philippines in 2022”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/philippines/the-day-of-valor

“Day of Valor”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araw_ng_Kagitingan

“Troops surrender in Bataan, Philippines, in largest-ever U.S. surrender”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-surrenders-in-bataan

“The Battle of Bataan and the Bataan Death March”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://thestrategybridge.org/the-bridge/2018/4/10/the-battle-of-bataan-and-the-bataan-death-march

“20 Patriotic Quotes Honoring Soldiers”. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://www.countryliving.com/life/g32418286/quotes-about-soldiers/?slide=10

Araw ng Kagitingan image 1. Retrieved on March 12, 2022. https://tinainmanila.com/2021/04/08/reminder-holiday-pay-for-araw-ng-kagitingan-april-9-friday/

“Big Hero 6 — Scott Watanabe” Retrieved September 28, 2021 https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/838795499354797043/

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/838795499354840847