Event pays tribute to Bataan survivors

  • Published
  • By Ryan Stark
  • Nucleus writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A unique tribute to survivors of the Bataan Death March of World War II took place March 21 at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.

The 26th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March is staged each year to honor the thousands of American and Filipino service members who were captured by Japanese forces in April 1942 and forced to march 65 miles with no food or water.

The memorial march at White Sands is divided into two routes: a marathon-length, 26.2-mile course across rugged, desert terrain and a milder 14-mile route. Organizers encourage participants to remember the trials that the Bataan marchers endured. This year, 11 Bataan survivors are scheduled to attend.

Lisa Blevins, a public affairs specialist at WSMR, said the event saw about 5,600 participants this year.

"It's probably one of the most patriotic events I've ever been associated with," Blevins said.

She added that the presence of Bataan veterans each year brings the purpose of the event home to everyone at the memorial march.

"Here are these guys in their 90s, and you see them struggle to stand up out of their wheelchairs to salute when we sing 'God Bless America.' It is really moving," Blevins said.

Robert Duffner, the historian for Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland, has participated in the march in previous years. He said meeting the survivors had an impact on him.

"Shaking hands and having brief conversations with the Bataan Death March survivors was a big deal for me," he said. "What I remember most from last year's Bataan Memorial March was the presence and the meeting of several survivors of one of the most gruesome events in our history. I came away with a tremendous amount of respect for each survivor. ... Just the experience of meeting them eyeball-to-eyeball and speaking with them about how they survived."

Due to the deprivations and brutality of Japanese forces, 10,000 men died during the 1942 march.

Among those forced to march were the men of the 200th Coast Artillery regiment of the New Mexico National Guard. Men from Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clovis, Deming, Gallup, Silver City and Taos had been deployed to the Philippines in 1941 in anticipation of war with Japan. Those units are credited with being among the first American forces to strike back at Japanese forces when they fired anti-aircraft artillery to repel enemy bombers on Dec. 8, 1941, the day after after the Pearl Harbor attack.

Following the march, 11,500 Americans died in Japanese prison camps. Those who survived did not see freedom until the summer of 1945.

In addition to the march and presence of Bataan survivors, Blevins said ROTC members from New Mexico State University put on a historic seminar for participants to highlight those who were at Bataan as well as New Mexico's significant role there.

Although registration is closed for this year's march, Blevins said that plans are already under way for next year's event, set to take place March 20.

For more information about the annual memorial march, go to www.bataanmarch.com.