105-летний ветеран Батаанского марша Джеймс Боллич отмечает день рождения

A young man who once wondered if he would live past 1941 will be turning 105 years old Saturday. James (Pat) Bollich grew up in Louisiana. He trained at Fort Polk and arrived in the Philippines in November, 1941, less than a month before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Jamie Bollich wrote, “U.S. and Filipino forces retreated to the Bataan Peninsula when the Japanese invaded the Philippines, but after four months their food and ammunition ran out and the 70,000 troops were forced to surrender.” The Japanese made no attempt to treat them humanely. The Americans and Filipinos were forced to march 65 miles with almost no food, water or rest. The guards killed and tortured many men, and many died of starvation and illness. By the end of the trek, 12,000 men had died, making the Bataan Death March an aptly named ordeal. Later Bollich would spend three and a half years as a prisoner of war until he and other soldiers were freed by Russian soldiers in the fall of 1945. Bollich may be the only living survivor of the Bataan Death March, although one other survivor was known to be alive in California a few years ago. After the war, Bollich returned to Louisiana and learned that two of his brothers had died in the war. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and even furthered his education by studying geology in various places. Bollich was offered an opportunity to teach geology at a Louisiana university but instead chose to take a position as a geologist for a major oil company in Houston. However, he did often teach geology on the side. Reginald Bollich, in his book titled "Luck or Miracle," tells the story as told to him by cousin James Bollich, about how his life evolved from being near death in the march and as a POW to a life of prosperity, health and longevity. He got married and he and his wife Celia had two daughters and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. James Bollich never lived in Deep East Texas or in Southeast Texas, but he has relatives who do. Andrew Bollich, who with his wife Jamie live near Kountze, said he has visited and even stayed with his Uncle James several times in his home in Lafayette, Louisiana. He said he talks to him on the phone, even as recently as earlier this week. Jamie Bollich is well known in Southeast Texas as a genealogist by genealogical enthusiasts. She said her husband’s uncle has written at least 12 books and was collecting material and information for another one three years ago, at the age of 102. However, she said, because he is now very hard of hearing and with very little vision, that book may not be completed. She said he continues to live alone but has caregivers who take care of him and even do cooking and cleaning for him. His two daughters live in other states and check on him frequently. He recently said he does not know why he has been allowed to live so long.