#reverb12 Day 16: Who inspired you?
Who inspired you in 2012? And why?
What gifts did they give you? And how will you carry these forward in to 2013?
His name is Harold Bergbower. I met him on March 24, 2012, and then saw him again the following day. I haven't seen him since, but he's been in my thoughts frequently.
He is one of the remaining survivors of the Bataan Death March (age 92 when I met him) and he told me his story of his time during the war, including the death march and his time as a POW. At the end, I asked if I could take a photo with him, shake his hand and say thank you. He agreed to all my requests but said he would not shake my hand. I had a moment of panic. And then he said that I was a pretty young lady, and he only accepts hugs from pretty young ladies. Had I not been so afraid of hurting him, I would have squeezed him as hard as I could. Instead, I gently hugged him, kissed his cheek, and continued crying.
And most of all, I was surprised that he thanked me. He thanked me for caring enough to travel to hear his story, and for my promise to him that even after he is gone, I will never forget and I will tell others.
That's Harold above on the day I met him.
Another survivor who was at the race in March summed up why he goes there to tell his story, and it echoes what Harold told me: "I try to make it here for the ones who can't make it anymore. I'm not getting any younger, and I get afraid people are going to forget. But I'm not afraid to get out and talk about it. I know I'll be remembered."
Beyond his actual war story, Harold talked a lot about what keeps you going when all appears to be lost and those around you are struggling and dying. How to keep going when it just seems easier to give up. He talked about sacrifice, commitment, spirit and his experience. Even thinking about it now makes my eyes tear up.
For example, one event he shared with me was about his time as a slave laborer in an ore factory in Japan -- he and his fellow POWs, when the guards weren't looking, would piss into the ore. It was small acts like that that kept his spirit going, having no other way to rebel, but knowing at least his urine would be in that metal. One other key fact that isn't included in the bio below is that when he was wounded on December 8, 1941 and woke up in the morgue -- his parents were notified he had been killed in action (I believe the year is wrong in the bio). He didn't know that of course, and they didn't find out he was alive until he was liberated in September 1945 and allowed by the Red Cross to contact his parents. He said he didn't think he would have survived his time as a POW if he had known his family thought he was dead -- he relied on his belief that they were praying for him. After he was liberated, he had to have his stomach pumped twice because he hadn't been able to control himself when he received food. He had suffered from malaria and dysentery while he was a POW.
He came back to the US and struggled in the same way many other Death March survivors struggled -- they in some ways felt the military was not proud of them, as it was the largest US surrender in military history, and there was also the extreme physical damage done from the years as a POW. Fortunately, Harold did not succumb to alcohol or depression as many survivors did. He went on to marry and have a family (three children, one of whom went into the military), but he wouldn't ever talk about his experience. His wife often slept separately from him because his nightmares were so severe, he often lashed out in his sleep. It wasn't until his wife passed away that he became active in a Bataan veterans group and heard about the memorial death march in which I participated. His daughter took him to the memorial death march in New Mexico, and when he shared his story, it was the first time she'd heard it. He has also gone on one of the reconciliation trips sponsored by the Japanese government. For him, he said the most meaningful part was when he met the owner of the ore factory where he'd worked. That man told Harold the company was celebrating its 100th anniversary, and as president, he wanted to learn about the good, the bad and the ugly of the company, and he apologized to Harold for having been forced to be part of the ugly. After having received two apologies from other Japanese (one delegate who came to the US, and then one from two members of the Diet on the same trip where he met the factory president), this was the first apology that held meaning for him. He said he is able to forgive, but he will never forget.
Here is one short saying that summarizes how the troops felt on Bataan after they had been abandoned by the US government:
"We're the Battling Bastards of Bataan,
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces,
And nobody gives a damn!"
-- Frank Hewlett, 1942.
I ask that you read Harold's bio posted on the Defenders of the Phillippines page. If you click on it, you get to see his cute picture from when he entered the service. Anyway, here is his bio, copied from that page so you don't even have to click a link:
Harold Bergbower was born on May 11, 1920 in Newton, Illinois. He joined the Army Air Corps on May 12, 1939. He went to school at Chanute Field (Illinois) and became an air mechanic.
He arrived in the Philippines on July 20, 1940. His initial time on the Philippines was pleasant, but then on Dec. 8th, 1941 bombs were dropped on Clark Field. Harold watched the bombs fall and then was hit by one. He passed out and when he awoke he found himself in the morgue at Fort Stotsenburg. He crawled out and went back to his squadron.
He fought with the Filipino Scouts on horseback because he was never picked up by an Army truck that was supposed to pick him up Clark Field after he went up to get his paycheck. He accompanied the Scouts to Pulangi river where he reunited with with his squadron. He was on patrol duty when the surrender of Bataan took place. He then was sent to a prison camp called Malaybalay, which was in the northern part of Mindanao. He stayed there for several months and then got transferred to the Davao Penal Colony. It was in the jungle, and they farmed the area, using caribou to plow rice fields. They also planted different vegetables such as cabbage and okra. Mr. Bergbower remembers the good rice being sent to the Japanese troops and the bad wormy rice was used for the prisoners.
He was there until May or June and then took a trip on a hell ship and landed in Moiji, Japan. Mr. Bergbower does not remember his hellship voyage and only learned details of some of the events related to that time when he went back to visit the Philippines in 2002. At that time he found that his ship had been bombed and that they stopped in Leyte for repairs and that he was in Bilibid Prison and Cabanuatuan, and then back to Bilibid for another hellship It was the Noto Maru that went on to Japan.
From there Harold went to Tayoma where he worked in a steel mill where they scooped ore into an open hearth furnace.
It would be bitter cold in the winter time and he was so cold his clothes would be frozen. They would warm up when they went to work where there was heat. The walk to the steel mill was between one half to three quarters of a mile
He said that one of the ways he survived the internment was to create another world in his mind so he dreamed of being on a farm. It took his mind off the reality of his life. His reality was disease and starvation. He was down to 78 pounds when he was at Davao and was about 107 when he got liberated. He would also keep the memory of his childhood and the food he had enjoyed at home. He remembered his mother's cherry and rhubarb pies and wanted them when he got back to the states. He had to get rations of sugar as his mother didn't have any.
Harold learned of the end of the war from a Red Cross worker. After that food was dropped to the prisoners in fifty-gallon drums. He recalled it was the best food he had tasted in years and years. He was in the Tokyo Harbor when the surrender with the Japanese was signed. He said he was a hundred yards from the battleship.
After the end of the war he was put on a ship Rescue, and received food and medical treatment and new clothes. In October , 1945 he returned to the United States and went to Letterman General Hospital where he was able to see his parents. Unfortunately his mother had received a telegram in September of 1945 saying that he passed away.
Harold retired from the Air Force and worked at a golf course after his retirement. He gave a talk to Arizona State University and 300 people came to hear him talk. He returned to the Philippines in 2002 with his daughter. He was able to fill in some of the gaps of his experience. He said that at Camp O'Donnell they planted 31,000 trees at Camp O'Donnell, one for each of the men (American and Filipinos) who died at Camp O'Donnell.
He has been to the White house twice for breakfast where he met General Myers, Admiral Norman Clark, General Micheal MdGee and Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfield. He also had his picture taken with President George W. Bush and his wife Laura.
Thank you so much for sharing Harold's story. He is an inspiration and his story brought tears to my eyes. There simply needs to be more support for our soldiers, they didn't have it then and they still do not have strong support.
ReplyDeleteYou are also an inspiration for participating in the Bataan Memorial Death March. We learn history in books, but to actually experience such a harrowing historical event even simulated takes a lot of courage and strength.