The Bataan Memorial Death March is a challenging march through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range, N.M., conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health and, in many cases, their very lives.
There are two routes offered:
The GREEN route is the full 26.2-mile Bataan Memorial Death March. Awards are presented to the top two finishers in each category. Those marching the 26.2 miles will be able to experience, in part, what Soldiers endured during their long forced trek through the Philippines.
The BLUE route is 15.2 miles in length. This shorter march is designed for participates who would like to memorialize Bataan but do not wish to march the full 26.2-mile route. There are NO awards given for this shorter march.
The Bataan Memorial Death March honors a special group of World War II heroes. These brave soldiers were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. The conditions they encountered and the aftermath of the battle were unique. They fought in a malaria-infested region, surviving on half or quarter rations with little or no medical help. They fought with outdated equipment and virtually no air power.
On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp. Others were wounded or killed when unmarked enemy ships transporting prisoners of war to Japan were sunk by U.S. air and naval forces.
The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the memorial march in 1989 to mark a page in history that included so many native sons and affected many families in the state. In 1992, White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard joined in the sponsorship and the event was moved to the missile range.
In 2003, for the only time in its history, the memorial march was canceled. Operation Iraqi Free required extensive deployment among the units that usually support the march and event could not be safely and efficiently conducted.
Since its inception, the memorial march has grown from about 100 to some 4,000 marchers from across the United States and several foreign countries. While still primarily a military event, many civilians choose to take the challenge. Marchers come to this memorial event for many reasons — personal challenge, the spirit of competition or to foster esprit de corps in their unit. Some march in honor of a family member or a particular veteran who was in the Bataan Death March or was taken a prisoner of war by the Japanese in the Philippines.
What participants say about the course:
- I've done 17 marathons - this was unreal. I wasn't prepared for the sand.
- I wasn't prepared for all the loose sand - many miles of this and a lot of it uphill.
- This course was nice due to the dirt. Not much pavement to pound the feet and joints.
- I was shocked as to how difficult walking 26.2 miles could be. I've been on a lot of forced marches but none were harder than this.
- Training for this course like a regular marathon doesn't quite do the trick. I should have done a lot of hiking, hills, rough terrain type training.
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