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The Army fielded a five-man team to compete in the Military Light Division, consisting of Maj. Michael Harlow and Cadets Josh Bennett, Mark Smith, Matt Smith and Jordan Russell. The team placed third with a time of 5 hours and 32 seconds. Cadets James Bordelon and Derek Meyer also ran the marathon. There was also a 15.2-mile honorary march, in which Sgt. 1st Class Billy Sims and Cadet Billy Roach participated. The Navy ROTC also had a five-man team and placed second with a time of 5 hours and 16 seconds. Its members included Adam Clem, Sean Dulaney, John Matlaga, Stephen Mossman, Taylor Munro and Maj. Mark Davis.
The Bataan Death March is considered one of the greatest inhumanities of World War II. It took place in the Philippines on April 9, 1942, after the American and Filipino forces surrendered to the Japanese. The march lasted six days and included 11,796 Americans. Many of the prisoners of war were robbed of their personal belongings, forced on a 90-mile march in deep dust, and ultimately crammed into rail cars. During the march, many POWs were shot or bayoneted if they could not keep up or if they had fallen out of the ranks. The survivors faced many more hardships as POWs for three more years.
While at White Sands Missile Range, the ROTC cadets learned the history of the Bataan and had the opportunity to talk with survivors. This march is intended to replicate some of the conditions that the Bataan survivors faced during the march. Participants of this year's march were told to remember the Bataan when they were hurting or exhausted, and to never give up just as the Bataan survivors never gave up. Many amputees from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also participated in the march. The shared experiences of the Bataan survivors and Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans helped everyone relate to the sacrifices that members of America's military have made and the many hardships they have endured.
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