Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today introduced legislation to honor and compensate United States veterans who suffered after being captured and held as prisoners of war by the Japanese during World War II.

Bingaman’s bill, which is cosponsored by Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT), would provide a one-time compensation of $20,000 to each surviving veteran, government employee, or government contractor who was imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II and forced to perform slave labor to support Japan's war effort. The bill would also extend that compensation to surviving spouses of such veterans or employees.

“From December 1941 to April 1942, American military forces stationed in the Philippines fought valiantly for almost six months against overwhelming Japanese military forces on the Bataan peninsula. As a result of that prolonged conflict, U.S. forces prevented Japan from achieving its strategic objective of capturing Australia and thereby dooming Allied hopes in the Pacific theater from the outset of the war,” Bingaman said.

Once captured by the Japanese, American prisoners of war in the Philippines endured the infamous “Death March” during which approximately 730 Americans died en route to the notorious Japanese prison camp north of Manila. Of the survivors of the March, more than 5,000 additional Americans perished during the first six months of captivity.

The Japanese forced many of those who survived captivity to embark on “hell ships” – unmarked merchant ships – to be transported to Japan to work as slave laborers in company-owned mines, shipyards, and factories.

“While this compensation is only a small token of our Nation’s gratitude, it is my hope that it serves as recognition of the vital military contributions and sacrifices made by these individuals, particularly as those Americans who sacrificed so much approach their final years,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman first introduced this bill nearly ten years ago and has been working to ensure New Mexico Bataan Death March survivors are recognized and compensated for their sacrifices.