CPL Joe Baca Chavira

Born: 18 September 1918

Death: 27 May 1941, Camp 504, Philippine Islands

Joe Baca Chavira was born on September 18, 1918 in Grant County, NM. His father, José S. Chavira, served in World War I. He was drafted in the Spring of 1941, was assigned to the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, and deployed to the Philippine Islands. As was the case with so many others, this unit had only limited training, outdated equipment, and limited ammunition by the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As part of the re-organization of the defense of the Philippines, Corporal Chavira was assigned to the newly-created 515th Coast Artillery which among other duties was tasked with covering the retreat of combined U.S. and Filipino forces from Manila. When US forces were ordered to surrender on April 9, 1942,  the 200th and 515th regiments were the largest remaining cohesive U.S. units left in the Bataan Peninsula. General Douglas MacArthur later remarked that “Had it [the defense of the Philippines] not held out, Australia would have fallen with incalculable results.”

Corporal Chavira was forced to join nearly 75,000 U.S. and Filipino comrades-at-arms in the grueling, 65-mile Bataan Death March. Chavira survived the brutality of the march and was imprisoned in Camp 504. He died as a prisoner of war on May 27, 1942. He is buried at the National Cemetery in Fort McKinley, Philippine Islands, Block 2, Row 10, Grave 1269.

Images & Documents

Notes:

Prepared by Dr. Andy Hernández, Western New Mexico University

[1] “Coat of Arms for the 200^th and 515^th Coast Guard Artillery Regiments,” https://www.angelfire.com/nm/bcmfofnm/history/200thdetails.html, accessed April 17, 2023.

[2] Photo courtesy of Chevo Chavira.

[3] “CPL Joe Baca Chavira, Jr.,” https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/search?firstname=joe&middlename=&lastname=chavira&birthyear=&birthyearfilter=&deathyear=1942&deathyearfilter=&location=&locationId=&memorialid=&mcid=&linkedToName=&datefilter=&orderby=r&plot=, accessed April 21, 2023.