UPDATE: As promised, the results of the march- We took 3rd in the Military Heavy Male Category. The guys from Bragg took first yet again, followed by the 2/75 Bn guys. We started in the very back of our group and managed to pass up every Heavy team except for those two. We never saw them lol. All-in-all it was a good time for the soldiers and families who came out.

It was an absolute honor to meet the survivors themselves. One survivor completed the entire event, as he does every year, and the Wounded Warriors were inspiring.

Thanks to those on here who contributed to the event! I am still trying to get pics and vids together.

Official results posted here:Bataan Results

Good day everyone,

The intent of this thread is to collect donations for survivors of the Bataan Death March, both directly and via an entry fee for the upcoming memorial event taking place in White Sands, NM on March 17th, 2013. Those who do not wish to donate may appreciate a few quick historical facts, and, after the 17th- the results of our team's march. Thank you for looking, either way.

Quick history of the Bataan Death March:

The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer of 60,000- 80,000 American and Filipino POWs, following the 3 month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during WWII. All told, approximately 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100-650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach their destination-Camp O'Donnell.

The 80 mile march was characterized by physical abuse and murder, and resulted in high casualties, both of marchers and of the surrounding civilian population. It was later judged to be a Japanese war crime.





The march had a particularly large impact on the state of New Mexico. 1,800 members of the 200th/515th Coastal Artillery of the New Mexico National Guard had been deployed to Philippines. By the end of the march, only half of the unit remained. Within just a few years, another half had perished. Only 60 remain today, and 31 of those survivors reside in New Mexico.



The memorial Bataan Death March:

Each spring, a memorial march is held at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The course is a 26.2 mile march which spans dirt roads, rocky terrain and deep sand. All proceeds are donated to the survivors of the original Bataan Death March, and most teams use canned goods to weight their rucksacks, which are donated to local shelters. This year, as my unit gears up to memorialize our fallen brothers, I ask for your help.



The request:

As we prepared this year to compete in the Bataan Death March (we were deployed last year, so we were not able to participate) we discovered that our unit (like most of the Army, and the country) is broke. Our battalion MWR fund had a whopping $170 in it- well short of the required $475 entry. Well we paid the difference out of pocket and began to train. The more we trained, the more interest was generated in the march and before we knew it we had plenty of young soldiers who wanted to participate. The individual fee for participants is $95 and I am looking to offset that cost for the individual soldiers who wish to commemorate our brothers-in-arms. I am also looking for donations to go directly to the survivors of the original Death March.

Our team will be competing in the Military Team Heavy (Male) Category, and judging by last year's placings, we have a very real shot at 1st place! More information can be found here:

Bataan Death March

ETA: Let me be clear, any money donated will NOT go into any PARTICIPANT'S pocket. All funds collected will be used to offset future costs associated with the march (transportation, supplies for the march, etc), as well as being donated to the Bataan survivors.

Anyone who is interested in donating, please send me an e-mail and I will make sure you get the PayPal account for donations.

Also, keep an eye on this thread, as I will be updating with training photos, possibly videos, and a final recap of the march itself.

What's your goal, how much are you looking to raise?

I have been there the last 2 years, gonna be there again this year. What team are you? (If you're not using 5/52 AMD as your name)

We are going with the super-generic "Cold Steel".

Thanks for the kind wishes. As far as a goal, we are simply going to try raise as much as possible. The individual entry fees total over 1,000 dollars, and while we are not trying to pay off that amount entirely (everyone would rather the funds go straight to the charity) I would like to help the guys who paid up out somehow (refreshments, transportation to the event, etc).

Money sent and good luck.

Thanks again.

"We are the Battlin' Bastards of Bataan,
No mother, no father, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no nieces,
No tanks, no guns, no artillery pieces.
Forgotten, abandoned, since the day we were landed,
And Know what? Nobody gives a damn!"

Good luck and god speed!

We will do our best to honor them. Thank you.

You're going to have some serious competition in the heavy category.

The British usually send some very competitive teams.

I was team captain for our mixed Army and Marine team in 1992.

We came in 4th place, and that was with no practice, although we were all hiking and running individually and the march wasn't as big a draw as it is today.

Jim

I signed up in January last year when I was in 1/71 CAV. About one month latter my SSG said ....yeah we not going.

I was expecting some international competition, but looking at the last couple of year's placings it looks like the team from Bragg is dominating. We are only about 20 min off their 1st place time from last year.

Yeah Bragg got it last year, I was disappointed because I had $ on the 2/75 Ranger team.

We were going to field a team this year from our Company of the OHMR, but unless there is more funding (for us) and a "Heavy 6" category, we would be non-competitive.

Updated the results. Still looking for pics and vids. Thanks to everyone on here who gave support.

BTW: I wish I had looked at this first...holy hell did that hill suck.