By Ramon FVelasquez – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25551134
A Shrine for a National Tragedy
The Capas National Shrine was built and maintained by the Department of National Defense, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Military Shrines Service. This monument stands as a lasting memorial to the individuals who faced the terrible struggles and horrors of the Bataan Death March and brutal encampment of POW’s during WW-II.An Impressive Obelisk and Marble Wall Amongst 31,000 Trees
The new Shrine site has an impressive 73-metre (240 ft) obelisk that is supposed to be a symbol for lasting peace. The obelisk was completed and revealed on April 9, 2003.Honoring the Heroes from other Countries
As we move to the western side of the shrine, there are three additional memorials paying respect and honor to the countries whose citizens also died at the prison camp. These countries included the Philippines, United States, and Czechoslovakia.Creek leads to Boxcars of Death
Offering a change-up from the rest of the National Shrine’s features is a garden area complete with a creek crossable by a hanging bridge. At first glance the area seems to offer a respite to the details brought forth at the rest of the facility, but quickly brings to light another horror of Camp O’Donnell. Your eyes immediately seize on a livestock boxcar mounted on some sections of rails with placards detailing the scene.American Museum
Another part of the Shine involves an American group called “Battling Bastards of Bataan” who built a small museum and additional monument at the National Shrine site. This museum/monument features an engraved list of Filipino officers, appointed by the Japanese Camp Commandant at the time, who were managers of the POWs.Radio Station, Tarlac
Sometime after the war and until 1989, the Camp O’Donnell location was known as Radio Station, Tarlac. This was an important radio transmission facility for the U.S. Navy providing short-wave, HF (high-frequency) and LF (low frequency) point-to-point to ships, and wide-area broadcasts to other facilities.Conclusion
While the Death March and Camp O’Donnell represent unthinkable accounts of wartime suffering, the shrine stands to honor those who endured the pain and hopefully prevent future similar atrocities from occurring. As Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”Clark Subic Marketing
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