Sometimes a candidate for office can make statements that make you angry or are just plain hurtful. Such was the case of the president, the commander in chief, when he made disparaging remarks about our friends and loved ones in the military, and those who were prisoners of war. It was hurtful because he was talking about my father, and his fellow members of Brainerd’s 194th Tank Battalion, that were sent to defend the Philippine Islands at the start of World War II. After running out of ammunition, food and medicine, they were force marched without food or water on the infamous Bataan Death March, many beaten and killed along the way. The Japanese prison camps were even worse. My father died in one of those camps as did so many. I am proud of his service to protect our country. I have had his Bronze Star on my wall all these years. The people of Brainerd vowed never to forget Bataan and they have not. Read Colonel Miller’s book “Bataan Uncensored” and learn what they went through.
Don Samuelson
Brainerd
