Heinrich, Leger Fernández Introduce Bipartisan Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) are reintroducing their bipartisan, bicameral Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act to honor the heroic individuals who served honorably in defending Bataan, Corregidor, Guam, Wake Island, Midway Island, and Java.

The legislation would bestow a collective Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest and most distinguished civilian honor, to the individuals who fought for or with the United States in the Pacific Theater during World War II. After the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, many of these servicemembers endured one of the most harrowing war experiences in history: the Bataan Death March and the forced labor and torture at prisoner of war camps that followed. Bestowing these veterans with a Congressional Gold Medal would recognize their personal service and sacrifice.

"Nearly 2,000 New Mexico National Guardsmen fought alongside Allied forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II. These brave Americans endured the unimaginably harrowing Bataan Death March, and years of forced labor and torture in prisoner of war camps," said Heinrich. "It was the courage and sacrifices of these brave Americans that ultimately made Allied victory possible. That's why I'm so honored to re-introduce this legislation to recognize these heroic veterans with our nation's highest and most distinguished honor."

"The American and Filipino defenders of Bataan and Corregidor endured an unimaginable level of abuse and responded with an equal amount of courage and strength," said Leger Fernández. "The Bataan Death March was a horrific example of cruelty and inhumanity. As our Bataan veterans are passing, it's time we recognize the Bataan and Corregidor service members - including many New Mexican heroes - with the highest honor."

The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.).

"Thousands of servicemembers, including many New Mexicans, bravely defended the Bataan Peninsula during World War II before enduring the Bataan Death March and imprisonment as prisoners of war," said Luján. "Our nation can never fully repay the debt we owe these veterans. Their courage, resilience, and sacrifice in the face of unimaginable hardship exemplify the very best of America. I'm proud to support this bipartisan effort to ensure Congress properly recognizes and honors these heroes for their extraordinary service and sacrifice."

"The defenders of Bataan, Corregidor, Guam, Wake Island, Midway, and Java displayed extraordinary courage in the face of impossible odds," said Stansbury. "In New Mexico, their legacy remains deeply personal. 1,800 New Mexicans were taken prisoner and forced to endure the Bataan Death March. 829 guardsman never returned home. Their sacrifice helped change the course of the war, and it is long past time that these heroes receive the recognition they deserve. I am proud to help reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to honor their service with a Congressional Gold Medal."

"New Mexico has a distinct history of proud military service, and during WWII, our state disproportionately answered the call of duty, sending more young people into battle than any other state per capita," said Vasquez. "Among those brave young people who risked it all to protect their loved ones and our freedoms were 1,800 New Mexicans who were taken prisoner and forced to endure the Bataan Death March - less than half of whom would make it home. These American heroes put everything on the line for their country, and it is time for our country to honor and thank them with a Congressional Gold Medal."

In the Senate, alongside Luján, the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Angus King (I-Maine), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

In the House, alongside Stansbury and Vasquez, the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Brian Babin (R-Texas), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Mike Carey (R-Ohio), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), John Carter (R-Texas), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Mike Kelly (D-Pa.), King-Hinds (R- M.P.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), John McGuire (R-Va.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Jefferson Shreve (R-Ind.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), and Austin Scott (R-Ga.).

The Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act is endorsed by The American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society, the New Mexico National Guard, and the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New Mexico.

"The American POWs of Imperial Japan represent one of the most profound examples of courage in our history. Many endured years of brutality, and far too many never returned home. A Congressional Gold Medal would finally provide the national recognition their sacrifice deserves. We are grateful to Senator Heinrich and the co-sponsors for spearheading and supporting this bill," said Jan Thompson, President of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society.

A one-pager of the bill is here.

The full text of the bill is here.

Background:

On December 8, 1941, hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese bombers attacked U.S. military stations in the Philippines. Despite being cut off from supply lines and reinforcements, thousands of American and Filipino forces mounted a courageous, months-long defense of the Bataan Peninsula and then Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. This brave defense - alongside campaigns to defend the Midway Atoll, Wake Island, Guam, Java, and Mindanao - changed the momentum of the war, delaying the Japanese conquest of the Philippines and providing the Allied Forces with critical time to mount a campaign to liberate the Pacific.

On April 9, 1942, after the Battle of Bataan, approximately 75,000 troops from both the United States and the Philippines were taken prisoner by the Japanese. They were forced to endure a torturous march of more than 60 miles that came to be known as the "Bataan Death March" to prison camps throughout the Philippines. The marchers endured intense tropical heat without food, water, or medical care. An estimated 10,000 men - including thousands of Filipinos and hundreds of Americans - died from starvation, exhaustion, and abuse.

Survivors of the Bataan Death March were sent to Japanese prison camps for over three years, where they were subject to further torture, undernourishment, and forced labor. Others died when they were transported out of the Philippines, by way of unmarked Japanese Navy "hell ships" that were targeted by Allied Forces.

Out of the 1,816 New Mexico National Guardsmen in the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery who deployed to defend the Philippines in the fall of 1941, 829 never returned home.

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