Albuquerque man who survived WWII Death March dies

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Authorities say a New Mexico man who was a survivor of the Bataan Death March during World War II has died.

The New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services says 88-year old Leo J. Padilla died Tuesday at his Albuquerque home. The cause of
death was not released.

The forced march involved the 60-mile transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in the Philippines from the Bataan peninsula to prison camps in 1942. Padilla was a member of the 200th Coast Artillery Anti Aircraft Unit that had to march through dense jungle in extreme heat.

Padilla survived and he returned home to New Mexico in 1945 after the war ended. He was active in the Albuquerque Chapter of the Bataan Veterans Organization and lobbied for compensation for former POWs.

Funeral services are scheduled Monday in Albuquerque with burial at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.