War veterans recall how they fought to defend Bataan, Corregidor

At 92 years old, George Conde cannot walk very far. He finds even a simple stroll to the end of his street to talk to a neighbor painful.

Despite his frail condition, Conde still retains a detailed memory of his experiences as a combat veteran. He is one of the few survivors of the infamous Death March during the Second World War.

With fiery enthusiasm, Conde today recounts how Filipinos fought alongside their American allies to defend Bataan and Corregidor against the numerically superior Japanese imperial forces under harsh and inhuman conditions.

His speech now slurred due to age, the Tondo-born veteran proudly lives up to the true Filipino spirit of courage, resilience and a deep faith in God.

"Noong bumagsak ang Bataan, at ako nga ay napasama sa Death March, wala akong ginawa kundi ang magdasal na makaligtas ako (When Bataan fell and I was among those who were forced to walk by the Japanese in the Death March, the only thing I did was to pray to God to emerge out of it alive)," Conde told The STAR in an interview on the commemoration of the 64th anniversary of the historic Death March in San Fernando, Pampanga yesterday.

It was at the train station where more than 70,000 members of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) were herded like animals into box cars by the Japanese Imperial Army.

It was to be the prologue to one of the most horrible events of the war, with thousands being forced to march under the heat of the sun to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.

Conde said his unit, the 31st Battalion, was one of those that defended Bataan and Corregidor.

With a hint of nostalgia for the fate he shared with fellow war veterans, Conde recalled surviving the fierce artillery fire of by the invading Japanese. He claimed being hit in the head by shrapnel during the shelling.

After the surrender, their captors did not provide immediate medical attention. But he remembers a comrade tying a piece of cloth to close the wound on his head.

After six months in captivity, Conde, along with 10 of his comrades, hatched a plan to escape Camp O’Donnell.

Racked by malaria, beri-beri and dysentery, Conde gathered his last reserves of courage and strength to escape certain death at the hands of their brutal Japanese captors.

He could not recall the exact date when they made their escape but remembered it was high noon.

They managed to climb up and over the barbed wired fence surrounding the camp by stepping on piles of cadavers — allied soldiers who had been executed by the Japanese.

Surprisingly, the guards did not notice them, he said, and they immediately ran as far away as they could.

The next thing Conde remembered was riding in a "basnig," a boat which took them to Navotas in the hope of reuniting with his mother in Tondo.

"Ibinayad ko ang baril ko dahil wala akong pamasahe, at nagustuhan nung bangkero kaya ibinigay ko na (I had no money to pay the fare so I gave him my 45-caliber pistol which I had been hiding in the house of my mother)," he said.

Thereafter, Conde’s relatives brought him to a hospital to be treated.

Conde told The STAR that thousands of his unfortunate comrades have died without seeing their own government pay them proper recognition for their heroism.

Many of the veterans have long passed away, he said. And while those alive today, including himself, are continually showered with praise and honors, they still have a hard time paying for medicines to survive much longer.

"They have fought valiantly to protect democracy and the freedom of the country, and Filipinos would not enjoy the freedom they have now if not for these veterans," San Fernando City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said in his speech.

Rodriguez said it is high time that brave old soldiers like Conde are duly recognized for their selfless contributions before they fade away.