The Bataan Memorial Death March this weekend will be limited to 15.6 miles amid forecasted record-high temperatures and limited medical support. The full marathon-length course will not take place, according to a statement by Colonel Donyeill Mozer, Garrison Commander at White Sands Missile Range.
Mozer emphasized that the purpose of the march remains unchanged, saying it is meant “to honor the sacrifice and perseverance of the Soldiers of Bataan.”
Billed as “more than just a marathon,” the event memorializes the Bataan Death March, which began on April 9, 1942. The march was a brutal, forced transfer of approximately 75,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs) by the Japanese Imperial Army following the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II. The event is widely recognized as a major World War II war crime due to its extreme brutality and high death toll.
The Japanese military was unprepared for the substantial number of prisoners and did not provide adequate food, water, medical care, or shelter for the march to a prison camp 65 miles away. The journey for the men, already exhausted and ill from months of fighting, became an ordeal of horrific abuse and neglect.
The POWs were forced to march about 65 miles in intense tropical heat and humidity. The march typically took groups of around 100 men about five days to complete.
The 37th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March is scheduled for 6 a.m., Saturday, March 21, at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Participants should arrive by 4:30 a.m.
Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Bataan Memorial Death March shortened due to heat, lack of medical support
Reporting by Trish Long, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
