The Making of
The Boys of Bataan Documentary
A new Lakeland PBS film helps preserve the legacy of local heroes.
Company A, 194th Tank Battalion, Fort Lewis, Washington, prior to deployment to the Philippine Islands, arriving ninety days before commencement of hostilities.
WRITTEN BY MATTHEW FORT | PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BPS ARCHIVES
On Veterans Day 2024, I visited the Washington Educational Services Building (WESB) on Oak Street in Brainerd. My guide, John Erickson, Brainerd Public Schools archivist/curator, stopped at the base of a staircase and pointed to a worn patch of flooring. I recognized the spot as one of the opening images in The Boys of Bataan, the hour-long Lakeland PBS documentary Erickson narrates. This film is one of four documentaries created and produced by our local public broadcasting station thanks to a grant designated to promoting the preservation of local military history.
The Boys of Bataan, first aired on Veterans Day 2024, tells the story of the 194th Tank Battalion, emphasizing the bravery and sacrifice of Brainerd’s Company A. The historic WESB, built in 1929, was originally Brainerd High School and served generations of students. This building is the place where Company A’s story begins. As Erickson chronicles the lives of fourteen soldiers from Company A, former students of Brainerd Public Schools (BPS), viewers see evocative photographs and hear a poignant audio recording, bringing the history of Company A to life. It concludes with images of the annual Bataan Remembrance Ceremony at the Brainerd Armory.
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Before watching the documentary, I didn’t know the vital role the Battle of Bataan played in disrupting the Imperial Japanese Army’s plans for a quick invasion. “The actions of the 194th,” Erickson notes, “and the Boys of Bataan are remarkable and unforgettable in terms of the broader scope of WWII.”
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The documentary does a brilliant job of illuminating this. Nine hours after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese aircraft hit Clark Field, the main Army airbase in the Philippines, and bombed and strafed other US airfields there, preparing the way for land invasions on December 22.
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On December 24, US command ordered a retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. American and Filipino forces experienced success in the early land battles of their fighting retreat.
John Erickson, Tornstrom Auditorium stage, during filming of The Boys of Bataan (photo by David Boran).
Erickson emphasizes the strategic importance of this resistance: “The buying time part is so crucial. Without resupply or reinforcement, the 194th Tank Battalion, along with the 192nd Tank Battalion and other military units, held off Imperial Japan for four critical months. They bought time for America to recover and then to mount attacks in the Pacific for the next three-plus years.”
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The collective sacrifice ensured the Allies opportunity to “reconstitute” their armed forces and attack in the Pacific. On April 18, nine days after Bataan fell, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle led sixteen B-25 bombers from the USS Hornet in a bold Tokyo bombing raid.
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“It’s not said often enough—it’s not understood often enough,” Erickson observes. “The 194th Tank Battalion in Bataan, including Company A, in the whole battle . . . resulted in two Presidential Unit Citations after the war.” After the war, SGT Herbert Frederick Strobel, TEC 5 Julius St. John Knudsen, and PVT Walter Straka—Company A soldiers—were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow.
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On April 9, 1942, American forces were ordered to surrender to the Imperial Army. Twelve thousand US and 63,000 Filipino soldiers became prisoners of war. What followed was the infamous Bataan Death March—a horrific 65-mile journey conducted over five days. Thousands perished from exhaustion, disease, and execution.
Jason Ewert filming the Remembrance Ceremony, Bataan Memorial Hall, Brainerd National Guard Armory, April 9, 2024 (photo by David Boran).
Imperial Japanese Army photograph of surrendered Philippine, Allied, and American military gathered to commence Bataan Death March.
Layers of History: Filming and Documenting
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The Boys of Bataan documentary received support from Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment, in particular from special project funding to highlight local military stories. Since its release, the documentary has resonated deeply with audiences, drawing an overwhelmingly positive response both locally and nationally. Jordan Stearns, marketing and communications manager for Lakeland PBS, notes the impact it has on viewers: “This project is just such a great tribute, and I think everyone that watched it felt that way.”
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When it came to finding a producer and director for The Boys of Bataan, Lakeland PBS turned to Jason Ewert, who had previously collaborated with them on a documentary about Hortense McKay, a nurse honored for her World War II service. Ewert was passionate about bringing The Boys of Bataan to life. An independent filmmaker with personal ties to the Philippines, he found the project compelling for both its connection to his heritage and its significance to local history. Ewert’s grandmother was born in the Philippines, and his great uncle was a Philippine Scout who survived the Bataan Death March. “WWII in the Philippines has such a rich history,” Ewert says. “Being at the [2024 Remembrance Ceremony of Bataan at the Brainerd 194th National Guard Armory] was so moving...[seeing] the family members—all generations coming together to honor the Boys of Bataan brought everything full circle.”
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Ewert spent a year researching, filming, and editing the documentary. He reached out to the Crow Wing County Historical Society, where Hillary Swanson, administrator/executive director, recommended that he contact Erickson. “John has such encyclopedic knowledge,” Ewert says. That introduction set the stage for a collaborative process. Erickson arranged permission for interior shooting in WESB, offered storyline suggestions, and provided access to archival materials.
The documentary includes audio created by TEC 5 Julius St. John Knudsen’s parents at the time—a Christmas message he never received. Hearing the voices “was heartbreaking,” Ewert says. “It was one of those things that brought the documentary to life in such a profound way.”
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Ewert describes the filmmaking process as a layering of history and storytelling, each detail adding depth to the narrative. He was particularly struck by the WESB building; so many of the Boys of Bataan once walked its halls. “John really brought history to life,” Ewert says. “When he talked about the worn spot on the stairs and its connection to the soldiers, it got my brain thinking about how to tell the story visually.”
Imperial Japanese Army photograph of Philippine, Allied, and American military on the Bataan Death March.
The effects go beyond the group, as women share the books with other readers, friends, and family. The organization’s end-of-year surveys report that ninety percent of respondents have said someone close to them read something they read in the past year. The organization also produces a Family Supplemental Booklist with suggested titles for children of different ages and includes questions that can be used to foster discussion about the reading.
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Ten thousand women will read the same book at the same time, which Stokman and Bugnacki emphasized is vital to the mission. “Reading books at the same time impacts us culturally,” says Stokman. “It creates a space for dialogue, and that builds culture.”
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Culture can be built one relationship at a time, one reader relating to another, which was evidenced by another chance encounter between Stokman and a stranger, this time in an airport.
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“I saw someone reading the book we were reading for Well-Read Mom,” Stokman recalls. “I thought, ‘I have to go over there.’ I went over and asked, ‘Are you reading that book for a book club?’ ‘I am,’ she said, ‘It’s Well-Read Mom. Have you ever heard of it?’ I laughed. ‘It’s sort of taking over my life.’”
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Then, says Stokman, “We stood there and talked about Wendell Berry and his understanding of place and putting down roots in a place and here I am talking to a woman from Tennessee, having an interesting conversation, a meaningful connection, because we’re reading the same book at the same time.”
This is at liberation, after approximately 2.5 years in captivity, at a POW camp in the Philippines.
One of many longstanding concrete “Mile Markers” (in kilometers, here equal to Mile 59) along the 65-mile-long Bataan Death March (anonymous photographer).
Documentaries rely on images to help tell the story. Ewert used a drone to film aerial footage of the gym and the stage. “We spent a day just exploring the spaces,” he says. “The details were so true to how they were when these boys graduated—it was like stepping back in time.”
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The production also unearthed unexpected treasures, such as footage from a digitized Super 8 video donated to the Crow Wing County Historical Society during the time Ewert was doing research. The part of that footage we see in the documentary shows City Hall and the police station in the 1940s, where James McComas worked after the war. McComas was a Company A soldier who escaped imprisonment and returned home before the war ended, and later became a captain in the Brainerd Police Department. “It was crazy,” Ewert recalls. It was “an incredible coincidence that it surfaced during the process.”
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For Ewert and Erickson, this project became a way to preserve a layered and evolving legacy. Before Ewert began filming, Erickson made preparations to record the documentary process for BPS Archives. “By ‘documenting a documentary’ of an important part of history,” Erickson explains, “we increase the chances that this history will be known far into the future.” Dave Boran, archives photographer, captured still images, including shots of drone flight, as Ewert filmed. Erickson adds, “In this spirit, Archives undertook to document, through still photography and related captioning, the making of parts of The Boys of Bataan—which itself captures events from eighty-plus years ago. Through their combined efforts, the story of Company A continues to inspire and educate, ensuring that the men’s sacrifices are remembered for generations. “History is important enough and elusive enough,” Erickson says, “to justify a degree of redundancy in order to increase the chances that this history will be known far into the future.”
The closing Color Guard salute, Remembrance Ceremony, Brainerd National Guard Armory, April 9, 2024 (photo by David Boran).
The Story Lives On
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In the months that have elapsed since my visit to the historic high school (now WESB), I’ve thought a lot about that worn spot at the base of the stairs. I’ve thought about its symbolic weight. It reminded me that history isn’t confined to some far-off place. At times, it’s right underneath our feet.
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Of the many things I learned from watching The Boys in Bataan, I keep returning to how important it is for the stories of those who sacrificed so much for our country and community to remain in the public eye.
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The community continues to honor the 194th’s sacrifices at events like the Bataan Memorial Death March Run at Camp Ripley and the Remembrance Ceremony at the 194th Armory each April 9.
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The documentary also reminded me that history is never static—it continues to unfold, often revealing new and unexpected chapters. As recently as September 23, 2024, PFC Gerald Bell, a soldier from Company A featured in the documentary, was honored with full military rites during a memorial ceremony at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Camp Ripley.
Thanks to the dedication of soldiers, families, historians, and filmmakers, the 194th’s motto remains alive, resonating with each generation: REMEMBER BATAAN. NEVER FORGET.
MORE TO EXPLORE
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Viewers can watch The Boys of Bataan documentary on demand using the free PBS app, or by visiting lptv.org/local-show/the-boys-of-bataan.
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The Boys of Bataan is the second installment in a four-part series. The first was Dedicated to Care: LTC Hortense McKay. A documentary on the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum being built near Camp Ripley and another called The Long Deployment about the Gulf War will be released in 2025.
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Lakeland PBS is developing educational resources to help teachers connect students to all four military documentaries. Check lakelandpbs.org for updates.
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On May 2, at the Washington Educational Services Building, 804 Oak St., Brainerd, BPS Archives will show The Boys of Bataan and feature an exhibit documenting Company A as well as how the documentary was made.
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The Remembrance Ceremony will be held at the Brainerd Armory, 1115 Wright St., Brainerd, April 9, 10:00 a.m
Bataan Memorial Death March Run, from Brainerd National Guard Armory (photo by John Erickson).