The Great Raid 80th Anniversary Commemoration was conducted on the 1st Feb. 2025 because it was a Saturday. The Commemoration was organized by the American Battle Monument Commission at the American POW Memorial in Cabanatuan. Friends and I participated and took these pictures. It was well done, well participated and it was a solemn event. A program is included to give you the speakers, leaders and participating organizations. I captured one extra picture from the www that shows the soldiers crossing the Pampanga River, then and now.
This presentation has only 30 pictures. All 54 pictures are presented in high resolution in this Flickr album, click here:
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Cabanatuan POWs Perished, List of Names
The American Battle Monument Commission (ABMC) recently commemorated the 80th Anniversary of the Great Raid, liberating the last remaining POWs there. I participated but in this presentation I like to address the status of the POW names that lost their life there in the hands of the Japanese. In this Corregidor Forum page is all the necessary information and links to learn the names of the perished and where they can be found, click here:
The names on the wall at the memorial of the perished POWs have been newly engraved on new marble plaques/panes IN 2016/17 BUT THEY ARE HARD TO READ AND TO PHOTOGRAPH!!!!
On this visit 31st of Jan and 1st Feb. 2025 I tried to photograph all of them again, I did, but discarded all of them because they turned out unsatisfactory, my poor skill, the cheep camera and their (ABMC) new way engraving them caused me to fail, so I only present 3 pics, to point out my failure and the poor situation of the new engraved names.
Three other pictures are added because they point out to me and remind me that during WWII, we Filipinos and Americans were truly Brothers in Arms. These plaques were either installed before or are displayed with the new way of displaying the names in 2016 at this Memorial.
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Thank you Karl. I have been there before, I really wish I had been there for this ceremony. I have read the book and seen the movie. But to be there for this ceremony would have been the icing on the cake, even it was bitter icing and cake.
Thanks Kent
Thanks Kent, it is really a terrific story!