Bataan Memorial Death March '99
Story by CPT John Wilson - Photos by CPT John Wilson & SPC Charles Ames
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Six Washington Army National Guardsmen finished 3rd out of 131 teams in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March held at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Each year, more than 2,000 people participate in this 25-mile event held to commemorate the sacrifices made by U.S. and Filipino service members who were overwhelmed by Japanese forces during WWII.
Although the bronze medal team consisted of 2 Lieutenants, 3 NCOs and 1 EM from Company B, 1-161st Infantry (Mech) stationed in Kent, WA., they were not the only Washington Army National Guard team in attendance. 1LT Billy O’Connell, the 1st Platoon leader, took his entire platoon along for the training. "There is not a better training event anywhere to prove how much Army National Guard soldiers can accomplish", O’Connell said. "Finishing an event as grueling and as physically difficult as this one will remind each soldier they are capable of completing just about anything".
The course covers 25 miles of southern New Mexico desert and crosses hilly terrain, winds around a small mountain and returns to main post through sandy trails and washes. Although the countryside was harsh, it was the altitude difference that wrecked the most havoc on the Washington soldiers. The elevation varies from 4,100 to 5,300 feet, causing CPL Jonathan Cole to remark, "this would actually be fun if it wasn’t for the hole in my lung".
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This annual event is open to all members of the active duty armed forces, as well as members of the reserves, the National Guard and the Reserve Officer Training Candidate programs. Even some local civilians get into the act.
Military personnel who participate are required to wear their full military gear. For CPL Cole and PFC Dustin Bade, this was their second consecutive year of participating in the march. PFC Bade was ecstatic over the improvement this year’s team made.
"Last year it took us 7 hours to finish, this year we were done in 4:52", he said. "In fact, if we continue to train this year like we did last year, I’ll add some gold to go along with my bronze", said Blade.
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For 1LT Don Brewer, the Bravo Company XO, the fact that all of the soldiers on the team were from the same company was an incredible display of Guard teamwork and can-do spirit. "Most of the teams are made up of soldiers selected from across their home states specifically for this event", said Brewer. "All of us are from the same unit, we all ran together for the entire race", he continued. "The 2 teams that finished ahead of us can’t say that".
New Mexico hosts this event to commemorate the two New Mexican Army National Guard units who were in the Bataan Death March of 1942: the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft).
The New Mexican National Guardsmen had been chosen for good reason: most were of Hispanic, and spoke Spanish, a principal language of the Philippines. Upon their arrival, they became the largest single American military unit in the Philippines. Of the approximately 140,000 defenders of the island, over 100,000 were members of the Philippine Army.
The U.S. Navy's namesake commemorating U.S. military actions on the Bataan Peninsula in 1942 is the USS Bataan, a Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD-5). A visit to this superior website provides details on the Bataan Death March as well as links to related websites.
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You may also be interested in visiting the White Sands Missile Range website. They maintain a page dedicated to the history and course description of this annual event. (This link has not proven to be very reliable and may not function).
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