Norman Chesser

Norman Chesser. Bataan Death March. Norman John Sheril Chesser was born on 12 February 1919, graduated from Indian Creek High School in Brown County, and attended Daniel Baker College in Brownwood. He was stationed in the Philippine Islands when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese on 7 December 1941. The Battle of Bataan began on 7 January 1942 and ended on 9 April 1942 when Major General Edward King surrendered to the Japanese. For three months, the combined United States and Filipino Army courageously fought despite a lack of naval and air support, supplies, ammunition, or hope for reinforcements before surrendering. The Bataan Death March was the inhumane brutal forcible march of 60,000 to 80,000 starved, sick, and debilitated American and Filipino prisoners of war for approximately 69 miles from Bataan to Camp O'Donnell resulting in the deaths of approximately 18,000 Filipinos and 650 Americans. The march was characterized by horrific beatings and physical abuse, brutality, unrelenting sadistic torture, starvation, and summary executions. Because of these atrocities, the Bataan Death March was judged to be a major Japanese war crime and crime against humanity. Norman Chesser survived the Bataan Death March and survived 42 incredibly horrible months as a Japanese prisoner of war. After World War II, he had a 46 year career in Brownwood with the US Postal Service and as a rancher. Norman Chesser died in Brownwood on 6 March 2006.,

"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 dam. Nobody gives a damn."