Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jarred Woods | From left: Staff Sgt. John Reich, Sgt. 1st Class Garrett Phillips, and Sgt. 1st Class...... read more read more
With little to no food or water, no medical aid and the cruel treatment from their captors, thousands of Service members died during the five-day march from Mariveles to San Fernando in the Philippines.
Like their predecessors, marchers in the memorial event must deal with harsh conditions such as deep sand, sun and heat, all throughout an uphill climb of more than 1,300 feet. The march route ultimately reaches a peak altitude of 5,413 feet, ranking it among the toughest marathon courses in the U.S.
Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 362nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, recently participated in this year’s march, hoping to experience a fraction of what those captured Service members faced 75 years ago.
“I feel it is unique for us to have the opportunity to participate in the Bataan,” said Army Master Sgt. Michael Tran, an observer coach/trainer with 1st Bn., 362nd ADA Regt.
Tran organized the group from the battalion and developed a training plan to physically prepare everyone for the event. The battalion’s participants began training last November by running or marching several miles each week. Their training culminated in a final distance run of 20 miles in early March at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, where the unit is headquartered.
“I would have liked to get in some more mileage,” Tran said, but work, college and family commitments made fitting everything in more difficult.”
The 1-362nd is a training support battalion within First Army Division East. Composed primarily of senior noncommissioned officers, along with senior and mid-career officers, the unit works with their partner air defense battalions in the Army National Guard from across five states.
Because the unit consists of relatively senior career military members of the active component, it leverages its team members’ years of experience and air defense expertise to observe, coach, mentor and train its partners in the Army Guard, providing value-added training support that pays off in the form of enhanced readiness.
With experience comes age, however, so there are no 18 to 20-year-old first-term enlistees in the battalion. The average service member assigned to the unit is in his mid to late 30s, with many in their 40s or early 50s.
Several of the battalion’s members have personal histories of service-related injuries. It was a bit out of the ordinary, then, for more than a third of the battalion to volunteer to challenge themselves physically by participating in the grueling Bataan Memorial Death March. Altogether, nine members of the 26-person battalion participated in the March 19th event.
“I talked with a few of the Bataan survivors when I picked up my race packet, and I can tell you, it’s a humbling and honoring experience,” said Army Staff Sgt. John Reich, an observer coach/trainer with the 1-362nd, who was injured in Iraq in 2003. “Completing the Bataan was a pride thing for me. I was not going to quit no matter how bad I hurt.”
Like many current and former service members who participate in the Memorial Death March each year, Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Mallett, an observer coach/trainer with the 1-362nd, participated despite prior combat injuries sustained to his legs in 2007 in Iraq and again in 2012 in Afghanistan.
“It was horrible!” joked Mallett, referring to the pain he felt in his knees while marching. “It meant a lot to see just a portion of what the World War II veterans must have went through.”
Participating in the march made an impact on unit morale and esprit de corps, said Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Stewart, command sergeant major of the 1-362nd.
“Any time we share positive experiences outside of our daily duties it contributes to pride in ourselves and in the organization,” said Stewart. “It was not surprising to me that so many took advantage of the opportunity to participate. The Renegades are always looking for ways and opportunities to exceed – or even far exceed – the standards.”
Reich agreed.
“I don’t think it’s unusual for so many of us from the 1-362nd to do the Bataan Memorial Death March,” Reich said. “We love a challenge, and we always lead from the front!”
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2017 14:47 |
| Story ID: | 230289 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, First Army Air Defenders Participate in 28th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT