IPAC Marines step up to Bataan Memorial Death March

Photo By Cpl. Jakob Schulz | Marines from Installation Personnel Administration Center hike in preparation for the 22nd annual Bataan Memorial Death March at Meyer Park at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., Feb. 8.  

YUMA, AZ, UNITED STATES

02.08.2011

Story by Lance Cpl. Jakob Schulz 

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

YUMA, Ariz. - Five Marines from the station's Installation Personnel Administration Center began training for the 22nd annual Bataan Memorial Death March with a predawn five-mile hike around the station Feb. 7, 2011.

The annual 26.2-mile march, to be held at the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., on March 27, commemorates the nearly 75,000 American military members and Filipinos forced to march across the grueling terrain of the Bataan Peninsula to internment camps by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

This will mark the third time a group of IPAC Marines have participated in the event. In 2008 four IPAC Marines completed the course in 9 hours, 51 minutes, while in 2010, another four Marines completed the course in 12 hours, 20 minutes.

Participants this year include Staff Sgt. Gilberto Perez-Rodriguez, separations noncommissioned officer in charge, and administration clerks Lance Cpl. Jacob Fansler, Lance Cpl. Anthony Scott and Lance Cpl. Matthew Loparo, who served as the 2010 team's duty driver, and Lance Cpl. Shane Fields.

"I'm really excited to give it a try," said Loparo. "After seeing these guys do the march last year, I'm ready to march by their side and not drive behind them."

Returning for another try are Scott and Fields.

"I'm going to stay positive this year," said Scott. "Last year, when we hit the 16 mile mark, I started to lose my motivation for even doing the hike. That mindset made it that much harder to continue on."

The Marines started their training wearing 20-pound packs and plan on increasing the weight until they can carry 50-55 pounds. They also plan on increasing the distance they travel in order to prepare for the grueling 26.2 miles of the march.

"One of the rules of the march is that you have to finish with 30 pounds," said Scott. "It has to be all non-natural things, so we can't just pick up rocks while we're hiking."

It won't be just the weight of the packs hindering their progress on the march, the terrain itself will be a difficult obstacle.

"The terrain and weather are brutal," said Fields. "We hike up to a really high altitude where last year there was still snow on the ground. When waking up you didn't want to pick up your pack and hike, hell, I didn't even want to get out of my sleeping bag."

• Date Taken: 02.08.2011
• Date Posted: 02.10.2011 14:45
• Story ID: 65181
• Location: YUMA, AZ, US