Julio Barela

Bataan Survivor Julio Talamantes Barela was born in San Ysidro, NM a small community north of Las Cruces on September 28, 1916. Mr. Barela was serving with 200th Coast Artillery of the New Mexico National Guard as a searchlight crewman when Japan attacked the United States in 1941. He was one of the 21 men from Dona Ana County assigned to the same Guard unit when U.S. forces were surrendered in April 1942. He was also one of the first men to be drafted into the Army from Dona Ana County, inducted in Santa Fe, NM. and the fourth Dona Ana County Youth freed from the Japanese POW camps.

Mr. Barela was with thousands of other soldiers who were forced to walk 65 miles for 3 days by a cruel enemy who killed anyone who could not keep up. The men were already starving, with no water except for an occasional waterhole filled with dead animals. Mr. Barela suffered from both Malaria and dysentery. Many of the men were suffering from malnutrition and disease. Some were so sick they were either shot or bayoneted. Sources say from 10,000 to 15,000 men died on what has become known as the Bataan Death March. After marching part of the way to Camp O’Donnell, the pows were put on trains leaving the town of San Fernando located in west central Luzon. The men were then put in metal boxcars whose capacity was for 50 people, however the Japanese put 100-150 men in them. The pows were standing so close they pass out and couldn’t move so they remained standing until they arrived in Capas this train ride lasted for 4 hours with no air, the heat was unbearable. After that the pows walked the remainder of the way to Camp ODonnell. Two months later Mr. Barela along with the other Pows were transferred to Cabanatuan Prison Camp in central Luzon. Mr. Barela was hospitalized in the zero ward with dysentery. Zero Ward was known to be isolation wards of dying men in Cabanatuan. Mr. Barela survived due to an injection the enemy finally allowed to be administered for fear of getting ill themselves. Barela was among several men sent to Niigata, Japan aboard one of the infamous hell ships. The stories about the hell ships and what was endured by the pows is too horrible to describe. For the men who survived the Bataan Death March it was the beginning of a hellish ordeal of captivity in POW camps. Among these prisoners were members of the New Mexico 200th Coast Artillery, and 515th Artillery consisting of 500 men of the 200th who were sent to Manila.

The 200th Coast Artillery had a heavy representation of Hispanic officers and enlisted men in the Death March. These men were selected because of their combat readiness and because they spoke Spanish, the primary language of the Philippines. The unit included Native Americans who used their native languages for military communications, later known and used as the Navajo Code Talkers. Mr. Barela and two such men were sent to the same pow camps together, Manuelito and Cata. These men were placed as cooks by the Japanese and helped Julio survive by sneaking burned rice which was left in bottom of the pots into him. Mr. Barela weighed 150 to 160 lbs before his imprisonment, his weight was 80 lbs at the time of his liberation from a Niigata, Japan Prison Camp. Mr. Barela was the fourth Dona Ana County Youth freed from the Japanese POW Camp and was evacuated by U.S. Air and arrived at Hamilton Field, San Rafael, California on or about September 25, 1945. He was one of a group of liberated prisoners who would arrive at that time and participated in a special welcoming ceremony according to a telegram sent by Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, Acting Adjutant of the Army from Washington, D.C.

Army Cpl. Julio Barela was awarded three Presidential Unit Citation awards, The Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal the American Campaign, American Defense and Asiatic Pacific Campaign ribbons and Prisoner of War ribbon. Currently the United States Congress is trying to pass that these men from Bataan receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

The Branigan Cultural Center exhibited WWII memorabilia from New Mexico service members on September 1, 1995 which include Mr. Barela’s Uniform and medals which was featured in the Las Cruces Sun-News. Channel 9 KTSM also interviewed Mr. Barela in a previous year upon the anniversary of the Bataan Death March. Mr. Barela was interviewed for a special edition of Borderlands “ For Love Of County” a special edition insert in the El Paso Times 2006 -2007. Mr. Barela was also interviewed by Hometown Heros, a national radio program out of San Deigo, CA in 2008. Mr. Barela, David Johns(deceased), and Ward Redshaw (deceased) were given special recognition during a City Commission meeting on March 3, 2008 at the Las Cruces City Hall. They were presented with a specially minted medallion inscribed with “Thank you for serving our country; from the City of Las Cruces. The Missile ranger at WSMR ran a story and picture on March 27, 2008. Mr. Barela attended many of the Bataan Memorial Death Marchs at White Sands Missile Range until health issues no longer allowed it. His goal was that people Remember Bataan and the thousands who fought and died. He is currently the last survivor of the 21 Dona Ana County men who were in the Bataan Death March. Mr. Barela is very proud to be an American and always said when asked if he remembered the men on Bataan “I think about every day and will always remember them.” Mr. Barela celebrated his 100th Birthday on September 28, 2016 at the New Mexico State Veterans Home in T or C, NM with family and friends.

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