Professor Greg Jackson

And right now, the Japanese are determined to ensure that aspect of the comparison holds true as well.

Frustrated that Bataan hasn't fallen as quickly as Burma, Singapore, the East Indies, and Java, the Empire of the Rising Sun withdraws thousands of troops from other areas to flood the peninsula with an additional 50,000 men.

This renewed attack begins at the end of March and continues into April.

General Skinny Wainwright mournfully notes later that the Japanese attacked the Second Corps, quote, with bared bayonets and were met by the bayonets of malarial men with not enough food in their bellies to sustain a dog, close quote.

The American and Filipino soldiers do their best to muster a counterattack, but many are so weak they can barely carry a weapon 100 yards.

General Edward King refuses to watch these starved boys get mowed down.

He feels compelled to make a hard choice.

Disobeying orders, he surrenders Bataan on April 9th, 1942.

Meeting with General Holmuth's representative, Colonel Nakayama Motoh, Edward does so unconditionally, but with assurances that his men will be treated properly.

After all, when he asks if Japan will abide by the rules of the Geneva Convention, a fair question since the land of the rising sun signed but didn't ratify the 1929 conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war, the colonel's translator answers, of course, we are not barbarians.

Let us be clear, this is a commitment.

Article 2 of the 1929 Geneva Convention states, "...prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated and protected."

Article 3 guarantees the respect of their person and honor, and Article 4 requires the capturing power to provide for their maintenance.

The convention goes on, specifying proper evacuation procedures, how POW camps should work, and more.

It is with this understanding that General Edward King feels confident that surrender is the ethical decision, that it is the best way to save the lives of the over 75,000 men under his command.

But this is not the reality these men soon experience.

Many of these starving, exhausted, and malaria-infected soldiers will never reach their soon-to-be POW camp, Camp O'Donnell.

In fact, their march to this camp will come to be known as the Baton Death March.

It's early morning, April 10th, 1942.

or in the U.S.