Webinar: Battle of Bataan and its Significance during WWII and Today

March 19, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Free Admission

Join the National Museum of the Pacific War for our March webinar entitled “Battle of Bataan and its Significance during WWII and Today”. You will discover how the Battle of Bataan started on January 6, 1942, as Japanese forces invaded the Philippines. Despite being outnumbered, Filipino and American troops held out for 99 days before surrendering. Following this, the Bataan Death March began on April 9, 1942, forcing 76,000 prisoners to march 65 miles under brutal conditions, resulting in approximately 10,000 deaths.

Cecilia I. Gaerlan is the Founder and Executive Director of Bataan Legacy Historical Society (BLHS), which worked successfully with the California Department of Education during the state’s curriculum revision process from 2014 to 2016 to include WWII in the Philippines. This was approved for inclusion in the Grade 11 history curriculum framework by the California State Board of Education in July 2016. She is a founding member of the USS Telesforo Trinidad Campaign (USSTTC), which worked successfully on the naming of the first U.S. Navy ship after a Filipino sailor, Telesforo Trinidad, who received the Medal of Honor in 1915. The USS Telesforo Trinidad (DDG-139) is slated for commissioning in 2028. She also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum. She was inspired by her father, Luis Gaerlan, Jr. of the USAFFE 41st Infantry Regiment, a survivor of the Bataan Death March.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 19th at 1:00 pm to attend this program.