March 29, 2006
Volunteers offer water and sports drink to marchers along the route.
by Mike Smith
March 29, 2006
Patriotism ran high during the 2006 Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range. Many participants carried flags to honor the nation and contributions of American warfighters.
Not nearly as high as at the original though.
Did any Japanese show up?
Bump for my Father in law who survived that original march...
About 40 years ago I read something interesting in a survival book I had.
It said that after the surrender of US forces, the death toll was so high at the Battan death march because many of the prisoners were city boys who stood around waiting for someone to take care of them.
The country boys were not about to surrender to some "slant eyed g**ks" and took to the hills to join the gurrillas fighting the Japanese.
I don't know if this is true or not. I have known one survivor back in the early 1960's and he still had physical problems due to being a POW there.
The longer course includes an elevation incline from 4,100 to 5,300 feet, and has been called one of the toughest marathons in the U.S.
Here in my neck of the woods, we have a marathon that starts below sea level in Death Valley and goes to over 8,000 feet in elevation at the base of 14,496' Mt. Whitney.
Very interesting thread, SandRat. Thank you.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
“It’s important every year that I be here,” Mims said, “I don’t care if I have to crawl, or how I have to get here. I want to be here because I owe it to these people who come out each year to support us.”
John is my next door neighbor and a fine American. He is on up there in age and his health isn't all that great. He lost his wife, Juanita, a couple of years ago as well as his granddaughter, Elizabeth (Wendy), to a drug overdose not long after. He is as kind as they come and never fails to tell his stories to my kids. Just some info on one of these vets.