Seems like a killer marathon.

Mountain Man Memorial March
 

Congrats on the completion. For those of you on the East Coast, there is a similar event called the Mountain Man Memorial March. It is held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and based on Bataan - basically the same rules, distance, categories, etcetera. Mountain Man is held in honor of a Benning classmate of mine who was killed in Iraq in 2007 while serving with the 25th ID. He was a UT grad, so the UT Army ROTC sponsors this march.

Maybe not as brutal, climate and terrain-wise, as Bataan, but a good hike nonetheless.

www.mountainmanmemorialmarch.com

http://visitsouth.com/articles/artic...gatlinburg-tn/

Congrats to all that have attended and completed the Bataan Memorial Death March in beautiful White Sands, NM.

I completed it with a team of guys from my small group back in '04 when I was attending Charm School at Ft Bliss. My son also completed the march two or three times with his ROTC buddies. So, we can both share the stories about the Sand Pit around mile 19 or so ..... BUT as all can attest, the highlight of the march is meeting the survivors, the true American Heroes. Meeting and talking to those guys is an honor.

Foot wear suggestion.
 

I'm planning on participating in the "half" distance (Knees are shot.) in 2012. Any suggestions on a specific make/model of boot for a wide (EEE) foot?

TIA

Ben

First Hand Account
 

First hand account from a survivor of this nightmare, my grandfather SFC Clarence G. Zealor.

The last pages and a picture.

A friend of my mother's was a Death March Survivor. Although approached many times for his experience by researchers, historians and authors, he would never discuss it...

My Grandfather ended up dying after his release once he returned to the states, I believe from the treatment received in the camps. I never met him and my mom said he never spoke of it either, she found the journal in some of his things after the funeral. I wish I could have the chance to sit and talk with him about this if he was alive and also willing to share.

The average U.S. soldier was in no way prepared for the brutality the Japanese inflicted on prisoners. It was so horrifying, the survivor's guilt for those who made it through the war in captivity was practically unbearable.

It was an honor to read your grandfather's account, Sulfek. Thank you for posting it.

Congrats on an excellent physical challenge...but dammit, I hate celebrating one of our biggest defeats and surrender of arms with an event.
There are numerous 'unsurrendered Americans' that worked organizing the Guerrilla effort. Now that would be worth celebrating...not a damned surrender trek.

I disagree. It's not a 'celebration' - it's a 'memorial' event similar to Memorial Day or Pearl Harbor Day or the 9-11 rememberances.

Never forget...and drive on.

Richard :munchin

Ok, I hate memorializing our biggest defeat and surrender of arms...when many 'unsurrenderd' individuals took to the hills and organized Guerrila forces...let's memorialize that with a march.

I do believe that those who were on Corrigador were pretty much trapped, ordered to surrender, and had nowhere to go.

Regardless, Bataan is the reason for the old saying "A thousand days in evasion beats just one day on your knees".

Sulfek, thank you for sharing your grandfather's journal.

After reading about the Bataan March, my view of General MacArthur was forever changed.