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Our mission is to preserve and perpetuate the story of the men and women who defended the Philippines and other Allied outposts against overwhelming odds during the first months of World War II in the Pacific and later became prisoners-of-war.
The American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society (ADBC-MS) is the only sanctioned successor to the original American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor organization formed by surviving POWs of Japan in 1946. We have been entrusted with preserving the legacy of the POWs of the Pacific.
The American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society is dedicated to promoting education about the POW experience in the Pacific during WWII and supporting programs of reconciliation. In addition to our annual conventions, we offer scholarships to descendants of POWs, provide grants for projects that educate and involve people of all ages in activities that bring meaning to this history, sponsor Bataan Memorial Marches, and support the building of monuments to honor the POWs in Japan. We are also involved in a number of other educational activities around the United States and internationally, working with historians and scholars to write curriculums for educational institutions.
The ADBC-MS is the point of contact for all official U.S. Governmental activities concerning American POWs of Japan. These include the Japan/POW Friendship Program that sends former POWs to Japan for healing and reconciliation; Veterans’ Day Breakfasts with the President; and submission of recently deceased information to the Freedom Foundation. At the request of the Senate and House Veterans’ Committees, the ADBC-MS provides written Statements for the Record at their annual service organizations hearings.
2023 Convention Registration
The 13th annual American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Memorial Society Convention
Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown
2600 Louisiana BLVD NE, Albuquerque, NM
May 3 - 6 $129 per night plus taxes
Reservations must be made before April 6, 2023
No airport shuttle. Shopping Mall and restaurants across the street
Also call 24 hrs. a day at 1800-325-3535 and ask for the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor Memorial Society (ADBC-MS) Rate
Or call the Hotel Sales Office directly (Monday – Friday / 8am -4pmMST) 505-830-5781-and ask for Nichole.
OR:
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Here's your reservation link your guests can use to make reservations: |
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Event Summary: |
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American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor Memorial Society (ADBC-MS) Annual Convention |
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Start Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2023 |
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End Date: Sunday, May 7, 2023 |
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Last Day to Book: Thursday, April 6, 2023 |
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Hotel(s) offering your special group rate: |
- Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown for 129 USD per night
Session Updates
Thursday May 4
John Duresky: "Relentless Hope". A true story of war and survival. The story of 1st Lt. Chester K Britt, La Crosse, WI native
William Dalness, "Two Wars Two Generations." My Uncle Swede and Great Uncle Swede (Swede's namesake) who was in the Navy in WWII
Friday May 5
Memorials Honoring Bataan Across New Mexico
Presenter: Chris Schurtz, Grandson of Paul W. Schurtz, NM National Guard 200th/515th Coast Artillery Chris
Schurtz has worked all over New Mexico documenting the memorials to
Bataan and Corregidor veterans, and will present a visual trek across
the state of the monuments honoring our heroes.
Paul Ruiz: "MSGT Joe Ruiz: U.S. Army Philippine Scout, POW, Guerrilla Fighter - Stories my father told me about the war"
“Update on Disinterments of Unknowns from Manila and the Punchbowl.” Presenter: Greg Kupsky, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Saturday May 6
The Navajo Code Talkers: Their Code Was Never BrokenPresenter: Thomas H. Begay, USMC, 1943-1946
The first 29 Code Talkers developed the unbreakable code used in the Pacific Theater. Mr. Begay was one of the several hundred Navajo Code Talkers who were recruited later to be trained, mobilized to war zones, and to use the code successfully in battle. Mr. Begay fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The Next Generation: The Grandchildren of Bataan and Corregidor Veterans
Panel discussion and open-mic session, led by grandchildren of Agapita Silva, NM National Guard 200th/515th Coast Artillery.
The grandchildren of veterans are invited to share their experiences growing up with grandfathers who were in Bataan and Corregidor.
Saturday Night Speaker
Stephen L. Moore is the author of more than twenty books on the Pacific War and Texas History. The History Channel mini-series "Texas Rising" is based on his books and tells the story of the early days of the Texas Revolution and the Texas Republic of the Texas Rangers. He is also the author of "As Good as Dead" about the Palawan Massacre. Moore is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. He and his family live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Letter to Tomita koji
Help Sought in Identifying Enoura Maru Victims
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) will begin exhuming the 400 sets of remains interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific who died in the bombing of the POW hellship Enoura Maru later this year. In order to identify them, DNA samples from their families must be on file. The Marine Office of Repatriation has provided the ADBC-MS with a list of Marines whose reference DNA has not yet been obtained. We are publishing this list hoping that it will come to the attention of some of those families. Please contact Mr. Ronald Williams at repatriation@usmc.mil if you are or know someone who is related to any of these men. Please note that Mr Williams cannot answer questions about anyone not on this list.
USMC Enoura Maru Unidentified List
2019 Annual ADBC-MS Convention Photos
Norfolk VA - May 29 - June 1 2019