BATAAN HONORS ITS NAMESAKE

UNITED STATES

07.14.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Brown 

USS Bataan (LHD 5)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2023


BATAAN HONORS ITS NAMESAKE
By USS Bataan (LHD 5) Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matthew F. Brown

The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) has many areas located on the ship with historically rich nomenclatures, one example is located in an offshoot room on the ship’s mess decks, called the Abucay Café.
Abucay is a third class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines.
The name Abucay was coined from “abu-kinaykay” which means digging debris of fire. According to legend, a Spaniard came to this town and asked for its name. It just so happened that his arrival followed a fire that burned and destroyed a number of houses in the town so the people were busy digging the remains from the ashes. Digging or shoveling is “kinaykay’ in the town’s local dialect. So, when this Spaniard asked for the name of the place, the residents replied “abu-kinaykay” thinking that this Spaniard was asking what they were doing. From then on, this town was called that way, and later onto Abucay.
To some, Abucay might just be a town in the Philippines; to the USS Bataan (LHD 5), Abucay is a prime example of the ship’s namesake; honor for those who had extreme courage and grit in the face of extreme adversity during the Bataan Death March.
“It’s very important that we have reminders of our namesake on the ship,” said Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) Commanding Officer Capt. Paul Burkhart. “It is often thought that our namesake refers to the Battle of Bataan where 75,000 brave American and Philippine troops were ultimately surrendered to the Japanese after months of fierce fighting, but that is not the case. The name Bataan memorializes the 75,000 individuals who were subjected to brutal conditions during the Bataan Death March, of which only about 15,000 made it home. Those are the warriors the crew of Bataan honor every day and it is important that we have reminders of this namesake, such as the Abucay Café.”
Abucay was the site of the infamous massacre of 400 Pampangos who courageously fought against the Dutch invaders on June 23, 1647. This town witnessed the courage and heroism of countrymen who resisted against the Spaniards, the Dutch, the Americans and the Japanese colonizers.
To fully understand the significance of Abucay, one should know about the Battle of Bataan. The battle is known as the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II.
Fighting on the Philippine Islands of Luzon and Corregidor began just 10 short hours after the raid on Pearl Harbor. After weeks of Japanese air raids and beach landings on the north of Luzon, General Douglas MacArthur ordered withdrawal from the fortified north to the narrow jungle peninsula, Dec. 23, 1941. There, combined Army, Navy, Marine Corps and American-trained Filipino forces opposed teeming Japanese aggressors. Despite rampant disease, malnutrition, insufficient supplies and ammunition, the “Battling Bastards of Bataan” defended the peninsula until April 16, 1942. Corregidor fell shortly after on May 6, 1942. Tens of thousands of American service members died either in battle or during the unconscionable “Bataan Death March”. The 65-mile “Death March” alone claimed the lives of more than 21,000 allies in less than a week and is marked as one of the greatest tragedies of World War II. Those who survived the march faced starvation and disease aboard “hell ships” during transportation and later in prison camps until Japan’s formal surrender in 1945. Two of every three Americans who defended Bataan and Corregidor never returned home. Bataan was the last American stronghold in the Pacific theater to fall until MacArthur fulfilled his famed prophecy, “I shall return,” by reconquering the Philippine Islands two-and-one-half years later. The battle of Bataan and ensuing “Death March” are widely regarded as one of the greatest examples of allied courage, endurance and sacrifice in the history of military conflict.
“Like most Filipinos born before the 1990s, I also heard stories from my grandparents about their experiences in the Philippines during WW2,” said Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) Jewel Toledo. “My grandfather fought in WW2 alongside Americans and was stationed with a US Army Tank Battalion. He was one of the 75,000 troops who became POWs but was lucky enough to escape and survive the Bataan Death March. My grandfather passed when I was 12 but serving on USS Bataan brings me back full circle and reminds me of wonderful memories of him. It gives me a sense of belonging and pride to be a Battling Bastard.”
During the Battle of Bataan, a defensive position known as the Abucay Line was established on the northern portion of the Bataan peninsula by the U.S. Army II Corps extending from Mabatang on Manila Bay to the northeast slopes of Mt. Natib. At the eastern side guarding the East Road was the 57th Infantry Regiment "Philippine Scouts" under the command of Colonel George S. Clarke supported by II Corps artillery. To their left to the west was the Philippine Army 41st Division along the Mt. Natib trail and Balantay River, forming the center of the line. Further west was the Philippine Army 51st Division. Japanese forces began their assault January 9, 1942. The American and Filipino soldiers managed to defend the position until January 25, 1942. During this back and forth battle the American and Filipino troops showed extreme determination despite a lack of supplies, reinforcements and a knowledge of the terrain.
From the courage of the brave American and Filipino troops who showed true resilience in the face of adversity is where the USS Bataan (LHD 5) derives its namesake; through the continuous grit and determination is where Sailors who serve onboard earn it.

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• Date Taken: 07.14.2023
• Date Posted: 10.24.2023 03:02
• Story ID: 456368
• Location: US