Photo By Staff Sgt. Angel Heraldez | Maj. Gen. Michael R. Drowley, chief of staff of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, provided...... read more read more
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U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commemorates the 84th anniversary of the 1942 Bataan Death March, during a wreath laying ceremony hosted by the Philippine Consulate General, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 22, 2026.
The wreath laying ceremony honored the heroic defense of Bataan during World War II. It commemorated the bravery of Filipino and American troops who fought and endured the 1942 Bataan Death March.
During the ceremony, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Drowley, USINDOPACOM Chief of Staff, provided remarks and presented a ceremonial wreath in remembrance of the fallen service members, and the courage and sacrifice of those who endured the march.
“Hope gave those service members a reason to endure. Hope gave them a future worth fighting for. Hope carried them through battle, suffering, and loss,” said Maj. Gen. Drowley. “That hope outlived the Bataan the Death March. Hope lives on in the families who remember. It lives on in the veterans who carry our story forward.”
The Bataan Death March took place from April 9 - 17, 1942, during the early stages of World War II in the Pacific following the surrender of over 75,000 U.S. and Philippine troops on the Bataan Peninsula. Prisoners were forced to march more than 60 miles under brutal conditions, marking a significant early defeat for allied forces in the Philippines.
"The only freedom these prisoners had was during their sleep, dreaming of their families and loved ones,” said James Bollich, while speaking to the combat survival training group airmen of the 336th Training Group, June 26, 2014, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.
James Bollich, widely recognized as the last surviving U.S. service member of the 1942 Bataan Death March, celebrated his 104th birthday on Aug. 15, 2025.
While attached to the 27th Bombardment Group, 16th Squadron Army Air Corp deployed in the Philippines, Bollich spent more than three and a half years as a POW, retiring as a sergeant from the U.S. Army Air Corps on Feb. 17, 1946.
Bollich went on to tell the story of his survival experiences in his self-authored, firsthand memoir published in 2003 “Bataan Death March: A Soldier’s Story”.
While the event was focused on mutual hardship, fallen service members and remembrance, the U.S. and the Philippines continue to build on their ironclad alliance established in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, prioritizing regional security, maritime awareness and modernization.
“Hope lives on in the alliance forged in blood between the Philippines and the United States,” added Maj. Gen Drowley. “Our alliance stands strong today because it rests on shared sacrifice. It rests on trust. It rests on shared values of freedom and sovereignty.”
USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and when necessary, prevailing in conflict.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2026 21:08 |
| Story ID: | 563381 |
| Location: | CAMP H.M. SMITH, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
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