Bataan Death March survivor honored

     Associated Press
      CARSON CITY -- Fifty-two years after the close of World War II, the Army awarded Bataan Death March survivor John Bowler 10 medals and a formal promotion to captain at a ceremony Friday in Carson City.
      "It feels great," said Bowler, 74, who has lived in the capital since 1983 and now suffers from cancer. "I'm proud of what I did and thankful for all the appreciation the country has for it."
      Four other Death March survivors showed up for the ceremony, including Bowler's brother, Frank, 77, who described his brother's heroism in the Philippines during World War II.
      "But over and above that, he had a big heart -- not just a brave heart, a big heart," Frank said.
      Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who helped get the long-overdue medals and captain's bars, pinned them on Bowler, saying, "His story is stranger than fiction, more heroic than any fictional account can be.
      "The man we honor today is what America is all about," Reid added.
      Bowler got his commission plus two Bronze Stars, a Prisoner of War Medal, an Army Good Conduct Medal, a Combat Infantryman's Badge, a World War II Victory Badge, a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation and three Distinguished Unit Citations.
      Born in the Philippines to an American father and Filipino mother, Bowler joined the Army in the Philippines at age 19. Fluent in many island dialects, his language and leadership skills earned him a field promotion from sergeant to captain.
      After his capture by Japanese soldiers in early April 1942, Bowler walked miles with his starving comrades, unaware of the significance of the march that claimed the lives of as many as 10,000 soldiers. About 70,000 men started.
      After several weeks of walking, Bowler and his brother were put in a prison camp and forced to build airstrips. After almost nine months of imprisonment, they escaped.
      John headed to the mountains where he fought with Filipino guerrillas. He returned to the United States in December 1944 and was discharged in 1945 -- his commission inexplicably pulled.
      Bowler worked for years to restore the promotion and finally was ready to give up in 1986, after an Army panel ruled against him. But his wife, Rose, 68, and six children urged him to keep trying.