The memorial was dedicated on 12 April 1982 by the survivors of the Bataan Death March and the prisoner-of-war camp in Cabanatuan during World War II.

[3] After the surrender of 75,000 allied troops (12,000 Americans and 63,000 Filipinos) by General Edward King, Jr. to the Japanese forces during World War II, the American troops were forced to march 65 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando, with the march ending in Capas.

camp was liberated in 1945 in an operation known as the most successful tactical rescue mission ever executed by the American military, the raid at Cabanatuan.

Although the Bataan Death March was a significant historical event, the establishment of its memorial in Cabanatuan was not mentioned in any major U.S. news outlet.

[6] Although more than 20,000 U.S. and Allied servicemen and civilians were held in the Japanese internment camp, only 2,656 American names are inscribed on the wall.

A large mural of Filipino and American soldiers carrying each other in battle is present on the roof deck of the memorial.