For many Americans, the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 came as a shock and spurred the country into formally entering World War II. For American personnel stationed in the Pacific, however, it marked the beginning of their own struggles. Within six months, the Philippines, including Bataan and Corregidor, had fallen to the Japanese, leaving tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers behind to become prisoners of war.
World War II saw approximately 130,000 American soldiers become prisoners of war, or POWs. Of those, Japan held 27,000 in addition to 14,000 U.S. civilians. Among them were 78 U.S. military nurses. These women, members of the Army Nurse and Navy Nurse Corps, would come to be known as the “Angels of Bataan and Corregidor” or “The Battling Belles of Bataan.” Despite being POWs, they continued to serve, providing vital professional care to all Allied POWs up to their liberation in 1945, after three years under Japanese control.
At the start of World War II, Army and Navy nurses were stationed at Sternberg General Hospital and other nearby hospitals in and around Manila. As a territory of the United States at the time, the Philippines was a choice assignment for nurses, especially those seeking adventure on a two-year tour of duty. Nursing duty was light, and the allure of a tropical paradise was strong. This would soon change, however.
Less than twelve hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese warplanes attacked the Philippines, leading to landings of ground troops both north and south of Manila. The nurses had to pivot quickly from their regular duty shifts to trauma nursing, tending to the casualties of the bombings of Clark Field and other U.S. outposts. As it became clear the Japanese might succeed in capturing the city, some nurses attempted to escape to safer positions. Some were able to escape prior to the Japanese capture of Manila, going to Bataan where military hospitals had recently been constructed. Others went to the island of Corregidor, at the entrance of Manila Bay, where the U.S. Army had established its headquarters. Those American forces that remained in Manila, including 11 U.S. Navy nurses, were captured upon the fall of the city and interned at Santo Tomas in January 1942.
The remaining Army nurses worked around the clock in two hospitals set up in the jungles of Bataan. Initially, the women had expected to work in standard-issue military hospitals. What they found were makeshift open-air wards with increasingly sick and weakened troops and high rates of infection. Conditions only worsened as the number of casualties continued, and nurses struggled to keep up. To add to the danger, these hospitals soon came within reach of Japanese light artillery, which threatened to destroy the makeshift infirmaries.
Just prior to the fall of Bataan, on April 9, 1942, the women were ordered to the island of Corregidor. From there, arrangements were made to evacuate the small group of nurses, but 66 remained and were captured with the fall of Corregidor on May 6. They became the largest group of American women taken captive and imprisoned by an enemy.
All the nurses were separated from their male military counterparts upon capture and were instead held with the civilian POWs in the Santo Tomas and Los Banos internment camps. Santo Tomas held approximately 6,000 people, with the population suffering from a variety of ailments. The nurses helped stem epidemics in the overcrowded camp, organizing public health campaigns even in the most unsanitary conditions. They also treated patients with what few supplies they had. From accidents to disease and malnutrition, the nurses fought to survive not only for themselves but for the survival of the camp’s inhabitants.
All 78 of the nurses survived until liberation by American forces. The Army nurses were liberated from Santo Tomas in early February 1945, and the other 11 Navy nurses were liberated three weeks later. Their survival is largely credited to the Army Nurse Corps leadership. Chief Nurse Capt. Maude C. Davison was 57 years old when captured, with decades of service experience, including World War I. Her second in command, 47-year-old Lieutenant Josie Nesbit worked with Davison to maintain a regular schedule of nursing duty, even in the camps. Each nurse had routine daily four-hour shifts, offering the young women purpose and a reason to survive.
Upon returning to the U.S., the Army and Navy awarded their nurses the Bronze Star for valor and a Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism in action. Yet, their actions largely remained unremembered as soldiers, civilians, and members of the Nurse Corps grew older. Many of the former nurses were also reluctant to share their stories as POWs, believing they had simply done their job and did not deserve any more recognition than they had already received. It wasn’t until April 9, 1980 that a bronze plaque was dedicated to the women at the Mount Samat National Shrine by men who survived Bataan and Corregidor. It reads:
To the Angels
In honor of the valiant American military women who gave so much of themselves in the early days of World War II. They provided care and comfort to the gallant defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. They lived on a starvation diet, shared the bombing, strafing, sniping, sickness and disease while working endless hours of heartbreaking duty. These nurses always had a smile, a tender touch and a kind word for their patients. They truly earned the name
“The Angels of Bataan and Corregidor”
Davison was also posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in August 2001.
The book We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan also tells the stories of these brave women, making use of interviews, diaries, and letters from 20 of the remaining survivors to craft a detailed account of their time in the POW camps. Documentaries, such as Angels of Bataan, also recount their stories.
Since 1954, Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial has been honoring veterans, living and deceased, throughout our nation’s history. Underneath the 29-foot cross are over 6,000 plaques commemorating those who have proudly served our nation and helped preserve our freedom. This includes many nurses and other women who served in the military as part of the effort to protect our nation. You can visit the memorial for free any time from 7 AM to 10 PM.
