A Record 5,704 Marched Today In The New Mexico Desert, Honoring WWII Veterans

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Those who know their WWII history know about the Bataan Death March, one of the most brutal events in the Pacific. Every year for 22 years, walking a marathon 26 miles through the White Sands Missile Range, thousands have come to honor their memory and sacrifice, including the dwindling number of survivors.

Today’s march had a record 5,704 people registered — one-third of them women — from every state, Canada, Britain, even Cuba.

I learned about it when I interviewed Boy Scouts who did this grueling march, and wrote about it for Boys’ Life.

From the El Paso Times:

• Among the marchers will be 29 “Wounded Warriors,” military personnel who have been seriously injured in combat. Although many of them have lost limbs, they will use prosthetics to complete the 26.2- or 15.2-mile memorial marches.

• Twenty-three survivors of the Bataan Death March will attend today’s event. Of those, 11 are from New Mexico.

• About 1,800 Americans who were surrendered to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942, were from New Mexico. They were forced marched to prison camps or to awaiting “Hell Ships,” which took some of the prisoners to Japan to work as slave laborers.

• The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the memorial march in 1989. In 1992, WSMR and the New Mexico National Guard became co-sponsors of the event and it was moved WSMR, where it’s been every year since – except 2003.

From the Las Cruces Sun-News, which interviewed a few marchers:

SSG Higgs, Jonathan

I am a native of Las Cruces, and have been in the Army for 7 years. I have recently moved to Ft Bliss this January and am happy to be back “home”. I have always wanted to do the Bataan Memorial March, as i grew up realizing the history behind it. This year I am honored to finally be a part of the tradition.
Angela Tolliver

We have a group participating but we are only doing the short march. Next year we will do the long march (not all of us are fit enough this year to do the long one.)

My sister is currently in the 515th in Iraq, her unit will be doing a march of their own in Iraq to honor the people who were in the Bataan Death March. We are participating for all the soldiers Past, Present and Future in the 515th. They have always been there and will continue to be there for us, this is just one way that we can show our appreciation.