]]>
In 1991, using his influence as City Commissioner, Richard Herring was able to persuade the City of Kissimmee to donate a piece of land in Lakefront Park for a future Bataan-Corregidor memorial. Groundbreaking for the memorial took place in 1994, and in 1995, the memorial was unveiled. The memorial features several benches, a stone dedication, an American flag, a Filipino flag, and the centerpiece: a statue depicting an American G.I. and a Filipino soldier being offered water by a Filipino woman during the Death March. Since its dedication, the memorial has become the site of annual meetings of WWII veterans who survived the infamous Death March. It has also come to be the site of annual gatherings of Filipinos and Americans celebrating Filipino-American Friendship Day on April 9th.

The Battle of Bataan lasted from January 7 to April 9, 1942, and marked the most vital phase of the Empire of Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The United States defended the Commonwealth of the Philippines, but ultimately the battle resulted in the largest surrender in both American and Filipino military history. The forced transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs), known as the Bataan Death March, began on April 9. The POWs were subjected to physical abuse and murder. An estimated 2,500 to 10,000 POWs died before reaching Camp O'Donnell. After Bataan fell, organized opposition against Imperial Japan in the Philippines became decimated. The Battle of Corregidor was waged on May 5 and 6  and resulted in another American-Filipino defeat. This event marked the fall of both the Philippines and Asia to Imperial Japan. American and Filipino forces were able to recapture the island in 1945 and the Bataan Death March was declared a war crime following the end of World War II.]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> Central Florida Monuments Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Hidden in Plain Sight: A Selection of Central Florida Monuments." RICHES of Central Florida.]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> ]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>