Ben, Laura, Fab and Rick at the start of the Baatan Memorial Death March

Bataan Memorial Death March
March 19, 2023

Written by Rick Stull

For anyone who doesn’t know, the desert can be a very cold place early in the morning. It was on such a morning on March 19, 2023, that five friends started their long walk from the parking lot to the starting line for the 34th annual Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces New Mexico. This marathon commemorates the sacrifices made by American military personnel at the hands of the Japanese Imperial forces shortly after Pearl Harbor. The suffering, torture and death of these Americans is what we march to remember and honor. The writer recommends any American not familiar with the Bataan Death March avail themselves of any of the numerous books (Ghost Soldiers is a good one) on the history of the death march. It is a somber and sobering story.

Laura, Brian and Annette at the start of the march

Our current contingent of participants was all from Colorado. Laura and Brian are sister and brother and definitely in the “contender” category as each is an accomplished endurance athlete. Fabiola was a newcomer in her first marathon length endeavor and Ben and Rick, the old timers and former US Marines, at 70 years, were doing it for their fifth time.

As stated before, it is cold in the desert in the early morning. The “powers that be” at this extremely high security facility require participants to be at the starting line at 5:30, even though the gun does not go off until 7:00am. So, we talk, shiver, laugh and jump up and down in the morning darkness to try to stay warm before the start of the race. Slowly the sun rises in the east and creates a magnificent background for the huge American flag hanging from a construction gantry in the middle of the football field where we will all start. Standing on stage, the base commander honors the survivors of the actual Bataan Death March and wishes today’s participants the best of luck. The national anthem is sung, the gun goes off, and 5,000 shivering souls are grateful to be “Oscar Mike” or on the move.

Marchers near the start of the marathon on the White Sands Missile Range

Laura and Brian are off as if shot out of a gun. Each carries a 35-pound pack (usually heavier) since they have entered the “civilian heavy division” their race will be one of pain, determination, focus and more pain. Fabiola (Fab from now on), Rick and Ben start off more leisurely. The course begins on the base roads. Asphalt is easy to walk on compared to the sandy washes that we will be slogging through near the end. Soon enough though, we are into the desert and walking on dirt roads. It is still pretty congested at this point, and everyone is trying to get into their rhythm and all senses are alert for the beginning of any hot spot on your foot or chaffing in other places. These problems must be dealt with immediately, or it is unlikely you will finish the next 24 or so miles. We hear one marcher exclaim “I just bought these boots yesterday and they feel great!” We saw him drop out at about mile 10…rookie mistake. At about the 5 mile point it was obvious to Rick and Ben that Fab could set a faster pace for herself if she was not encumbered by us old guys. After much protesting, she agreed to set off on her own and soon disappeared up the trail. At this point, Ben and I settled into the rhythm of the march. We had been here four times before and knew the ropes by now. We were familiar with the hard parts and the various mileposts and knew to continually check our physical condition and attitude.

Our main subject of conversation was how Laura was doing. She had won the civilian women’s heavy division (with 35-pound pack) previously and we were certain she would do well again. She was still recovering from an ankle injury incurred in a serious fall while mountain climbing, and she was not sure that her ankle was up to the pace she was planning to set. Ben and I had no such reservations as we had been working out with Laura for over 10 years and we know how determined and tough she was. We also knew that Fab’s enthusiasm and energy would carry her through to the end with no problem.

Brian near the finish line

One thing a lot of marchers don’t understand about this event is the training. While there are participants who will run the entire marathon, I would say most of us walk it. While walking is a lot easier than running, it still requires training. For three months before the race, Laura, Ben, Fab and Rick would spend our Sunday mornings walking anywhere from 12 to 18 miles. The only thing that made these training sessions enjoyable was the, let us say “lively” discourse and debates between the diverse group of personalities that our team represented. Laura trained much harder. As well as the long Sunday walks, she also climbed fourteeners (14,000 ft mountains) and did it all with a heavy pack. It is usually at about the 15-to-20-mile point in the race that those participants that thought just walking 26.2 miles should be no big deal begin to fall out on the side of the road. Many suffering from locked up hips, aching knees and blistered feet. The old adage “We sweat in training so we won’t bleed in war” comes to mind.

Laura happy to be done

Mile after mile (it is a marathon after all…duh) we pick ‘em up and put ‘em down. Rick and Ben bring their own time proven endurance food (Snickers candy bars) as the aid station’s fare can be underwhelming, consisting mostly of bananas, oranges and Gatorade. One thing we do this time that we have never done on previous marches is take Advil at the first sign of foot pain. We find out this is a tremendous help! Usually, toward the end of this march our feet feel like they are on fire, but not this time. While we are slow, we know we will make it and everyone will be waiting for us at the finish line.

Fab making it look easy

The final two miles seem to never end, but at last the finish is in sight. Ben’s wife Patty comes onto the course to escort him across the finish line and Fab (long since finished) does the same for me. Ben and Rick cross the line at the same time and are very glad to be done. Laura and Brian finished much earlier and to no one’s surprise, Laura has won the Civilian Women’s Heavy Division. In fact, her time was faster than the winner of the Military Women’s Heavy Division set by a US Army woman half Laura’s age. Luckily, Ben’s wife Patty has found a parking place close to the finish line and our walk to the car is mercifully short. Once inside, beers are opened, congratulations passed around by all and we head back to Las Cruces fatigued, but also with a feeling of accomplishment. Our team considers the race a complete success by all. Laura won, Brian did great, Fab completed her first marathon and Ben and Rick survived!!!