WWII vets revisit death march for documentary

Two New Mexico veterans of the infamous Bataan Death March returned to the Philippines in May as part of a historical documentary project sponsored by the UNM Center for Regional Students.

Tobias Durán, center director, says veterans Evans Garcia of Albuquerque and Manuel Armijo of Santa Fe were accompanied by a video crew who interviewed them about their experiences as they re-visited several Death March sites plus Camp O’Donnell, Cabanatuan, Biblibid Prison and the Manila Cemetery.

“Manuel Armijo and Evans Garcia are among few living World War II veterans of the New Mexico-based 200th Coast Artillery, many of whose members perished during the Bataan Death March or thereafter as prisoners of the Japanese,” Durán said. “They have an important and compelling story to tell. The Center for Regional Studies is very pleased that it will be able to document this history in order to educate present and future generations of Americans about the courage and bravery of these admirable men, and the horrors they endured as they served their country so honorably.”

The center plans to complete the documentary by year's end.