March of Death

On April 9, 1942 a very historical event in took place in the Philippines. 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers were held captive by the Japanese colonizers and were forced to march for 63 miles to prison. Around 10,000 soldiers didn't make it due to the extreme conditions and brutality of the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese believed strongly in honor brought by fighting to death hence the surrender of the Filipino and American soldiers caused them to lose respect.

 In my opinion the Japanese were too harsh on the soldiers. They made the soldiers suffer the heat of the sun for five days with only two balls of rice to feed on and absolutely no water to drink. It was torture for the soldiers and they had no choice since anyone who was caught trying to escape was either shot or brutally murdered. The violence that they had inflicted was unjustified. The Japanese had absolutely no respect for the soldiers.

I think that the soldiers made the right decision in surrendering to the Japanese. Although they suffered too much, in the end they still won the war. If they didn't surrender they couldn't have survived and finished the war. Fighting to their death would have tragically ended.

Fighting to the death is indeed a mark of honor. But as the Filipino and American soldiers have proved, it is better to fight smart. They won the war because they fought not only with brute force but with their minds.