56th SFS members march to remember sacrifice

  • Published
  • By Austin Thomas
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Three five-person teams from the 56th Security Forces Squadron, wearing desert camouflage uniforms with packs, participated in the 22nd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March March 27 in the desert terrain surrounding the White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The Bataan march was designed to honor the service members who protected the Philippines during World War II and became prisoners of war.

During the Bataan Death March in 1942, the Japanese transferred 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war 60 miles from Mariveles, Philippines, to Camp O'Donnell, Philippines. Only 64,000 of the original 75,000 made it to Camp O'Donnell. This was later determined to be from Japanese war crimes due to the physical abuse and murder from which the prisoners of war suffered.

"The service members forced to march in 1942 struggled with malaria, dysentery, beriberi, malnourishment and a number of other diseases," said Jerold Haupt, 56th SFS standardizations and evaluation superintendent. "The POWs were treated brutally by their captors and many of them had no boots."

The memorial march offered two routes; the blue route which was 15.2 miles and the green route which was 26.2 miles. Members of the 56th SFS trained for several months and participated in the longer route.

The march took seven to 14 hours for participants to complete. Along the way, they ate peanut butter sandwiches, protein bars and drank water.

"This truly showed the commitment of today's Airmen," Mr. Haupt said. "I saw them encouraging each other, tending to one another's wounds and reminding team members that quitting was not an option. Throughout the day I saw nothing but positive, 'let's do this,' attitudes."

"Memorial marchers had the opportunity to meet several of the survivors and to listen to their stories," Mr. Haupt said.

"It's a real privilege to be able to honor the servicemembers of World War II," Mr. Haupt said. "Although the memorial march was a challenge, it was nothing compared to the actual march. The event allows us to reflect on the sacrifices of the Bataan marchers. This memorial march gave me the opportunity to witness America's best, both past and present. The future of our Air Force is in good hands."