Luke Airmen honor Bataan march

4/2/2010 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- Five Luke Air Force Base Airmen participated in the 21st edition of the Bataan Memorial Death March March 21 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

More than 5,700 people from 50 states and five countries hiked the 26.2 mile course in honor of the World War II prisoners of war in 1942.

"It's definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life," said Tech. Sgt. Adam Greene, the 56th Security Forces Squadron quality control standardization evaluation NCO in charge. "Of the four deployments I've been on, three of which were to Southwest Asia, most of our shifts span out to be about 15 hours, standing at an entry control point. None of that compares to this. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime."

The White Sands event honors the roughly 19,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war who died on the forced 60-mile Bataan death march in 1942 during World War II. Twenty-two survivors attended the weekend event, with many of them in their late 80s or early 90s, said Cammy Montoya, a White Sands Missile Range spokesperson.

"We spent almost three months training for this, but the training we did was really just getting our feet prepped for it," Sergeant Greene said. "It makes me think back to the survivors of Bataan, that they didn't have that training. They weren't expecting it. They didn't have the camelback, the checkpoints with water and orange juice or any of that. It took you back to think about how bad they had it."

The 56th SFS team carried rucksacks on their backs weighing between 35 to 51 pounds. The team battled miles 10 to 12 that were completely uphill, mid-30 degree temperatures and an elevation of almost a mile above sea level. This does not begin to mention the blisters and feet that eventually went numb.

"Overall it was awesome and finishing the march is something I'll never forget," said Staff. Sgt. Anthony Odell, the 56th SFS training NCO in charge.

He also said seeing the survivors at the march gave him a great feeling and motivated him to finish.

"Mentally, I just kept thinking of all kinds of different things," he said. "At times I thought about the Bataan survivors and those who didn't survive. Other times I was thinking of my family, anything to get my mind off the pain and keep moving."

Like Sergeant Greene, Sergeant Odell said his deployments were demanding, but were different than the marathon-length march.

"I've been in the Middle East in the middle of summer with all my gear on which was equivalent to, if not more than, what we had at the march, for a 10 or 12 hour shift," Sergeant Odell said. "But to actually be on the move for 11 or 12 hours straight with all that gear is very intense.

"There were parts of the trail where you're going uphill and you'll get to a bend and think, "I have to be at the top of this mountain," but you get around the bend and see more mountain," he added. "You just think, no way, what do they expect us to do here? You just keep going and you'll get there -- eventually," he added with a laugh.

"The event was very well organized with the medical stations every couple of miles, water points along the route, supporters and volunteers who helped out," he said. "I don't have an exact number of how many people attended, but it was definitely 10,000 plus. It was insane seeing a sea of marchers as far as the eye could see. You could see the little ant line just going and going."

(Senior Airman Michael Means of the 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office contributed to this story.)

Staff Sgt. Anthony Odell (left to right), 1st Lt. Derek Tosie, Jerry Haupt and Maj. Michael Borders march with thousands of participants toward the horizon during the Bataan Memorial Death March March 21, 2010, at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Each of the participants finished the 26.2 mile march with a rucksack on their backs, each pack weighing between 35 and 51 pounds. The Airmen are assigned to the 56th Security Forces Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, N.M.

(U.S. Air Force photo)

The 200th Coast Artillery New Mexico National Guard assumed the mission of covering the retreat of the Northern Luzon force into Bataan, while the Provisional Manila Group newly christened on December 19, 1941 and the 515th Coast Artillery assumed a similar mission for the South Luzon force. These units distinguished themselves during this action and during the defense of Bataan.

Of the 1,800 New Mexico men sent to the Philippines, 900 survived the Battle for Bataan and the horrors and atrocities of the “death march” and the privation and deep humiliation of the 40 months spent in prisoner of war camps. The 200th and its “child” the 515th, better known as “the Brigade,” will always be remembered for the bravery and devotion to duty of its members. These proud men brought home three distinguished unit citations and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.

Much of the credit for the higher rate of survival of NM Guardsmen was due to the close nature of the state of NM. These men were relatives and friends of one another, and maintained those close ties until liberation.

A NM guardsman from Santa Fe wove and sewed a contraband American flag and hid it from the Japanese during his captivity, it’s discovery would have meant death.

When the guard abandoned his camp at near the end, he flew it from the flagpole, and it may have saved the camp from strafing from US planes.

On a personal note, it is not uncommon to see articles about Bataan survivors here, although like so many others of that generation, they are passing on.

As a Navy enlistee, I attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Near my barracks and just off base was a greasy spoon named “Dee’s.” Dee had been in the Bataan death march.

While on the march, he had a huge boil on his neck. One day, a soldier called him out of line, told him to kneel down and hold his head out. He knew it was the end. The soldier cut the boil out and told him to get back in line.

Amazing and true.

Back in 1961 we knew a man from Carlsbad NM who had been in the Battan death march. He was still suffering from injuries of that time.

I read, many years ago, that Battan was a good reason for men not to surrender. The author pointed out that it was the individual country boys who did not want no “slant eyed gook’s” prisoner who took out for the hills and organized the resistance.

The author said the others decided “someone’s got to take care of us!” and gave up to the Japanese.

I have an oil painting that was painted by my grandmother’s cousin. The painting is a stark,stormy seascape. Throughout my childhood, it hung in my grandmother’s dining room.

One day a psychologist was over at my grandparent’s house and noticed the painting. He asked who painted it. When my grandmother informed him that the painter was her cousin. He asked her, “Why is she so angry”? My grandmother was surprised at his analysis and didn’t think that her cousin was angry. She then informed that psychologist the the painter was a nun. That really intruged the psychologist and he started asking about her life. My grandmother finally reveled that Sister Bridgetine had been in the Batan Death March and had painted it right after she had returned from her experience. I’d say that she was angry.

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