[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16681]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING VICENTE OJINAGA

 Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, in less than 1 week 
our Nation will commemorate Veterans Day. It is a day that we set aside 
to honor the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces, those 
who are still among us, as well as those who, sadly, have left us.
  Today I wish to pay tribute to an American hero, Vicente Ojinaga, who 
passed away on September 30 at the age of 95. Mr. Ojinaga was a valiant 
soldier, a member of the Army's 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, a 
defender of Bataan and Corregidor, and a survivor of the Bataan Death 
March.
  During World War II, the courageous defenders of Bataan were an 
inspiration for an embattled nation. The Japanese attack on the 
Philippines in December of 1941 came just hours after Pearl Harbor. The 
Battling Bastards of Bataan were outnumbered and outsupplied, but for 4 
intense months they fought on against all odds. In holding off the 
enemy forces longer than expected, they bought the Allies precious time 
to regroup. They were, and always will be, an inspiring reminder of the 
grit and determination of both Americans and Filipinos.
  The courage and sacrifice of those brave troops should never be 
forgotten. Their number included 1800 New Mexicans. Many of them were 
also Hispanic, deployed to the Philippines because of their ability to 
speak Spanish. They were dedicated to defending the freedoms that we 
all hold dear, at a time when they themselves were treated as second-
class citizens.
  For Mr. Ojinaga and his fellow soldiers, even worse was yet to come 
after the surrender. Those who survived the Bataan Death March faced 
3\1/2\ years of horrific conditions and forced labor in Japanese 
prisons.
  In an interview with the Santa Fe New Mexican, Mr. Ojinaga's 
daughter, Teri Gonzales, recalled that her father would sometimes tell 
his family about his experience during the war, but not in detail. ``We 
didn't want him to relive the horrible things,'' Mrs. Gonzales 
explained. ``He said what kept him alive was faith and prayer and his 
family, knowing he was going to come back to his family.''
  Vicente Ojinaga was born on January 22, 1918, in Santa Rita, NM. 
After graduation from high school, he worked as a carpenter in the 
copper mine. When his country called, on the brink of World War II, he 
answered that call, unequivocally and with a powerful sense of duty. 
With his passing, we say goodbye to a courageous veteran of the 
legendary New Mexican survivors of Bataan. Our Nation is forever in 
their debt.
  As his daughter said, despite the horrendous circumstances of his 
captivity, Mr. Ojinaga held on to his faith and held on to his hope 
that someday he would return home, that someday he would see his family 
again. By the war's end, his body bore the weight of his suffering. 
When he was finally released, he weighed only 95 pounds.
  Like so many of the Bataan survivors, Mr. Ojinaga served his country 
at war but also in peacetime. He married Celia Presciado and together 
they raised five children. He and his wife purchased a home, with the 
help of the GI bill, in the Casa Solana subdivision of Santa Fe. They 
would live there together for over half a century. Mr. Ojinaga 
graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1950 with a degree in 
business administration. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service and 
then for the New Mexico Bureau of Revenue until his retirement in 1978.
  His daughter recalled to the New Mexican that after his retirement 
Mr. Ojinaga was busy with his family and with community service. He was 
a Little League coach, volunteered to provide tax counseling to the 
elderly, was president of the Guadalupe Credit Union, and served as a 
Eucharistic minister at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Mr. Ojinaga was 
blessed with a long and eventful life, and he dedicated his life to his 
country, to his family, and to his community.
  Our Nation has lost a brave soldier. We extend to the family our 
deepest sympathy and our enduring gratitude for his service.

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