Last month I met ten friends and some of their family members at the Bataan Sculpture in Veteran's Park, Las Cruces, New Mexico. We wanted to see these larger-than-life veterans on the day before we paid tribute to the men they represent: the men involved in the Bataan Death March, which I've recently talked about in another blogpost.
The three figures in the sculpture look in three different directions. One looks back to what they have already endured. One looks down, as if considering where they presently are. The third looks forward, to their future.
We had looked forward to the Bataan Memorial Death March for a long time. Our own journey began when one of the students on my track team heard from an Educational Assistant that I'd done it before. He asked if it was hard, and I answered that yes, it was, but it was possible for anyone who put in enough training. "So," he said, "when are we going to start training?"
How could I say no?
We began hiking right after Thanksgiving. We hiked three to five miles on Mondays and Wednesdays after school, with longer hikes on Saturdays, eventually building up to twenty miles.
How could I say no?
We began hiking right after Thanksgiving. We hiked three to five miles on Mondays and Wednesdays after school, with longer hikes on Saturdays, eventually building up to twenty miles.
On the day of the march we gathered in the pre-dawn hours. After a stirring ceremonial and a chance to thank the few remaining survivors, we were off on our adventure.
Some of us did the short course, which was a little over 14 miles, while others in our group completed the full 26.2 mile marathon. The course had a mix of dirt roads and pavement through the dry high desert of White Sands Missile Range, in southern New Mexico.
The portion of the route known as the Sand Pit was the hardest for most. Located in the last third, when we were already good and tired, the Sand Pit went right up a sandy arroyo. It was like walking on a beach.
A majority of the people who do The Bataan Memorial Death March are military and in uniform, so we were always surrounded by strong and supportive people. This is one of the things that makes this marathon very different from any other marathon: rather than being a competition, it is a day-long commemoration of the fighting spirit of our troops. We march to remember, and to challenge ourselves to be as tough as we can be.
A majority of the people who do The Bataan Memorial Death March are military and in uniform, so we were always surrounded by strong and supportive people. This is one of the things that makes this marathon very different from any other marathon: rather than being a competition, it is a day-long commemoration of the fighting spirit of our troops. We march to remember, and to challenge ourselves to be as tough as we can be.
Despite the arid conditions, the desert is not without its beauty. The California poppies were in bloom and the beautiful Organ Mountains stood sentinel over our west flank.
Many thanks to Barbara Leiber- Klotz, who took the majority of these pictures.
I am proud to report that everyone finished strong, and with good times. Some have even started to talk about "next year."
Mission Accomplished.
Mission Accomplished.
