Laguna, NM – On Thursday, Harry Teague announced a new initiative to honor and preserve the stories of the Bataan Death March Survivors, some of New Mexico’s most courageous and distinguished veterans. Teague is partnering with the Library of Congress’ “Veteran’s History Project”, and local universities, to capture and record the stories of these heroes.

“As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs committee, I believe that it is important to recognize the sacrifices of all of our veterans. Part of that effort must be to chronicle the stories of the survivors of the Bataan Death March,” Harry Teague wrote in a letter to the local universities and colleges throughout southern New Mexico. “As this generation of veterans gets older, I would like to capture their stories so that future generations of New Mexicans and Americans across the country can learn about the sacrifices they made for their country. So I would like to embark upon an endeavor to collaborate with university students in our state to help document these harrowing tales so that all will be able to remember what they suffered to maintain freedom not only in America, but all across the globe.”

Local journalism students are encouraged to apply for internships with Congressman Teague’s office for this special project. Interns would assist the office in locating Bataan Death March survivors and meeting with  them to collect and record their stories for future generations. The first round of interviews will begin this Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11^th, to mark the holiday and recognize these deserving men who bravely fought to protect our country.  

Harry Teague is also looking for all New Mexico Bataan Death March Survivors to participate in the series of interviews. The project is part of the American Folklife Center, and its aim is to be a project that “collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.”

Interested survivors, candidates, or anyone with questions, should contact Art Terrazas in Harry Teague’s Las Cruces office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 575-522-3908.

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