Camp O'Donnell is a current military base and former
United States military
The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
reservation in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
located on
Luzon
Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
island in the municipality of
Capas
Capas, officially the Municipality of Capas (;
), is a Philippine municipality, municipality in the Philippine province, province of Tarlac, Philippines, and one of the richest towns in the province. The town also consists of numerous subdivi ...
in
Tarlac
Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac (; ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. It had a population of 1,503,456 people according to ...
. It housed the
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
's newly created
71st Division and after the Americans' return, a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
camp. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the reservation was used as a
prisoner-of-war camp for
Filipino and
American soldiers captured by
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
during its successful
invasion of the Philippines. About 60,000 Filipino and 9,000 Americans were housed at the camp. During the few months in 1942 that Camp O'Donnell was used as a
prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...
, about 20,000 Filipinos and 1,500 Americans died there of disease, starvation, neglect, and brutality.
After World War II, it became a base of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
and the location of the
U.S. Naval Radio Station, Tarlac, with the
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
installation occupying its eastern side. It housed the Training Command's
Philippine Army Officer Candidate School, NCO Academy, and Headquarters Service Battalion.
Establishment
In August 1941, Camp O'Donnell was built on a 250-hectare plot of land about 65 miles north of
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, the capital city of the Philippines. The camp's development was overseen by the
Philippine Department
The Philippine Department (Filipino: ''Kagawaran ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Kagawaran ng Pilipinas'') was a regular United States Army organization whose mission was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. On 9 April 1942, duri ...
's U.S. Army Engineer.
When the camp was first constructed, it was meant to house the
71st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. When the camp's inmates were ordered to repel the approaching Japanese forces, building on the facility was put on hold.
World War II
Camp O'Donnell was the destination of the Filipino and American soldiers who surrendered after the
Battle of Bataan on April 9, 1942. The Japanese took approximately 70,000 prisoners: 60,000 Filipinos and 9,000 Americans. The prisoners were forced to undertake the
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the Death march, forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of around 72,000 to 78,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war (POWs) from the municipalities of Bagac and Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula to Camp ...
of approximately to arrive at Camp O'Donnell. Many soldiers died during the march and the survivors arrived at the camp in extremely poor condition.
The first Filipino and American
prisoners-of-war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
arrived at Camp O'Donnell on April 11, 1942, and were welcomed by the Camp Commandant, Capt. Yoshio Tsuneyoshi. The Japanese military leadership was ill-prepared to handle the incarceration of almost 70,000 Prisoners of War, and did not have the logistics or facilities prepared at the camp to support such influx of population. Aside from the limited barracks to house the POWs, the facilities lacked a proper hospital facility, water system, sewer system, and dining facilities.
The Filipinos and Americans were housed in separate sections of the camp. There was a constant movement in and out of the camp as the Japanese transferred prisoners to other locations on work details. In June, most of the American POWs were sent to other POW camps or to work sites scattered around the country and ultimately to Japan and other countries. From September 1942 to January 1943, Japan paroled the Filipino POWs. They signed an oath not to become guerrillas, and the mayors of their home towns were made responsible for their conduct as parolees. Japan closed Camp O'Donnell as a POW camp on January 20, 1943.
The POWs at Camp O'Donnell died in large numbers for a number of reasons. Japanese soldiers rarely surrendered and held those who did in contempt. The Japanese soldier was the product of a brutal military system in which physical punishment was common and so they treated the POWs accordingly. Moreover, the Filipino and American soldiers arriving at Camp O'Donnell were in poor physical condition and had survived on short rations for several months. Many were suffering from malaria and other diseases. The Japanese had made little provision for the treatment of prisoners and were surprised at the large number that they captured. They had believed the force opposing them in Bataan was much smaller and that the prisoners would number only about 10,000, rather than the 70,000 or more who were actually captured. The Japanese were unprepared to provide the POWs with adequate food, shelter, and medical treatment. Japanese military leadership was inattentive to the POWs and were preoccupied with completing their conquest of the Philippines. Moreover, the Japanese declined to treat the POWs in accordance with the
Geneva Convention
upright=1.15, The original document in single pages, 1864
The Geneva Conventions are international humanitarian laws consisting of four treaties and three additional protocols that establish international legal standards for humanitarian t ...
of 1929, which Japan had signed but had not ratified.

Conditions at Camp O'Donnell were primitive. The POWs lived in bamboo huts, sleeping on the bamboo floor often without any covering. There was no plumbing; water was scarce. Weakened by malaria, dysentery was rampant. Medicine was in short supply. Food consisted of rice and vegetable soup, occasionally with shreds of
water buffalo
The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...
meat. The diet provided about 1,500 calories daily and was deficient in protein and vitamins. Vitamin deficiency illnesses such as
beri-beri and
pelagra developed among many. The Japanese refused most offers of assistance for the POWs, including from the Philippine
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
.
The consequences of the hardships were thousands of POW deaths. Filipino deaths were much higher in numbers and percentages; as many as 20,000 Filipinos died. For the Americans, the deadliest period was the end of May with more than 40 soldiers dying each day. The number of Americans who died at Camp O'Donnell is not precisely known; 1,547 American deaths were recorded, about one sixth of the total number of American POWs, but the camp's American adjutant, Capt. John E. Olson, estimated that some 20–30 more were unrecorded.
The American POWs at Camp O'Donnell were moved to new POW camps near
Cabanatuan
Cabanatuan, officially the City of Cabanatuan (; ; kapampangan language, Kapampangan: ''Lakanbalen/Ciudad ning Cabanatuan''), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Acco ...
. About 120 senior officers, including General
Wainwright, commander of U.S. forces in the Philippines, were taken to a camp near
Tarlac City
Tarlac City, officially the City of Tarlac (; ; ; ), is a component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 385,398 people, making it the most p ...
after their surrender at
Corregidor
Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...
in May 1942.
On June 19, 1942, the Filipino swimmer
Teófilo Yldefonso, who won the country's first ever Olympic medal, died at the camp aged 38.
Camp O'Donnell was recaptured by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
, the
Philippine Commonwealth Army, and the
Philippine Constabulary
The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...
on January 30, 1945.
War Crimes Trial
After the
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
, Capt. Yoshio Tsuneyoshi, who was a graduate of the
Imperial Japanese Army Academy
The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...
Class of 1915, was captured in Japan and brought to the
military tribunal
Military justice (or military law) is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states us ...
under the
8th United States Army in
Yokohama
is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
. He pleaded not guilty towards the charges in contributing to the death of 1,461 American military personnel incarcerated in Camp O'Donnell. On November 21, 1947, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. His sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment and hard labor. He was later transferred to the Philippines to face the
military tribunal under the Philippine Army, pled guilty of the charges for the death of 21,000 Filipino POWs, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 19, 1949. On July 4, 1953, Pres.
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953.
A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...
included him in the list of pardoned Japanese war criminals, but was to continue his sentence in
Sugamo Prison
Sugamo Prison (''Sugamo Kōchi-sho'', Kyūjitai: , Shinjitai: ) was a prison in Tokyo, Japan. It was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima 23 special wards, ward of Tokyo, Japan.
History
Sugamo Prison was orig ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
.
Later history
Camp O'Donnell was later transferred to the
U.S. Air Force and became home to the 3rd Tactical
Electronic Warfare Training Squadron, the
Pacific Air Forces
The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...
Electronic Warfare Range, and the
Crow Valley Range Complex. Operating Location Delta (OL-D) of the 1961st Communications Group was also located at Camp O'Donnell. OL-D provided communications support to Camp O'Donnell, the Crow Valley Range Complex, worldwide high-frequency military transmitters and microwave relay support
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
broadcasts out of the Philippines.
The former internment camp is the location for the
Capas National ShrineCapas National Shrine
page on the site of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office which was built and is maintained by the Philippine government as a memorial to the Filipino and American soldiers who died there. A huge obelisk
An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
now stands as a grave marker on the original site of the camp, which charges an entrance fee of less than Ph₱20 per head. In 2016, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority commenced construction work of New Clark City
New Clark City is a planned community currently undergoing development, owned and managed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). It is located within the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in the municipalities of Bamb ...
at the former American camp.
The location is currently the headquarters of the Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
's Armor "Pambato" Division and Training Command.
See also
* Crow Valley Gunnery Range
* Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base in Luzon, located west of Angeles City, and about northwest of Metro Manila. It was previously operated by the U.S. Air Force and, before that, the U.S. Army, from 1903 to 1991. The base cov ...
* Mount Samat Shrine
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camp O'donnell
O'Donnell
The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland.
Naming ...
Army installations of the Philippines
Japanese prisoner of war and internment camps
1942 establishments in the Philippines
History of Tarlac
World War II sites in the Philippines
Military history of the Philippines during World War II
World War II prisoner-of-war camps