Camp O'Donnell

Camp O'Donnell was a facility of the United States Air Force in Capas, Tarlac, the Philippines. Before the facility was transferred to the US Air Force, it was originally a Philippine Army post and later a United States Army facility. Camp O'Donnell is now a camp of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

History

During the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Camp O'Donnell was the final stop of the Bataan Death March and was used as an internment camp for Filipino and American prisoners of war. Around 20,000 Filipinos and 1,600 Americans died at Camp O'Donnell. There were no POWs left at the camp when it was retaken by the US Army and Philippine Commonwealth Army on 30 January 1945.

When it was transferred to the US Air Force, it became home to the 3rd Tactical Electronic Warfare Training Squadron, the Pacific Air Forces Electronic Warfare Range, and the Crow Valley Range Complex. Operating Location Delta (OL-D) of the 1961st Communications Group was also located at Camp O'Donnell. OL-D provided communications support to Camp O'Donnell, the Crow Valley Range Complex, worldwide high-frequency military transmitters and microwave relay support Voice of America broadcasts out of the Philippines.

Present

The former internment camp is the location for the Capas National Shrine which was built and is maintained by the Philippine government as a memorial to the Filipino and American soldiers who died there. A huge obelisk now stands as a grave marker on the original site of the camp, which charges an entrance fee of less than Ph₱20 per head.

See also

• Crow Valley Gunnery Range
• Clark Air Base
• Mount Samat Shrine