Bataan Memorial Death March draws 2,200 virtual participants in 2022

Leah Romero, Las Cruces Sun-News
·2 min read
The Bataan Death March statue at Veterans Park in Las Cruces
The Bataan Death March statue at Veterans Park in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES – The annual Bataan Memorial Death March was held virtually once again this year with 2,283 people participating.

The memorial march has been held each year since 1989, when it was started by the Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University. It acknowledges the extremely difficult conditions U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war faced beginning in April 1942.

After months of struggle in the Pacific Theater during World War II and dealing with disease, lack of supplies and exposure to harsh natural conditions, 75,000 soldiers surrendered to the Japanese. Members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard were among those who became Japanese prisoners of war.

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The Remember Bataan Foundation of Las Cruces laid a wreath at the memorial in Veterans Park Friday, April 9, 2021 in honor of the World War II heroes.
The Remember Bataan Foundation of Las Cruces laid a wreath at the memorial in Veterans Park Friday, April 9, 2021 in honor of the World War II heroes.

POWs were forced to march roughly 65 miles to concentration camps with little to no food, water or medical attention. Thousands of captured solders died while in route and those who survived were forced to live in brutal conditions. They were not freed until 1945.

White Sands Missile Range took over the memorial march in 1992 along with the New Mexico National Guard. Participants complete either a 14.2-mile or 26.2-mile course on the sandy, desert land at WSMR.

In 2020, more than 10,000 participants had registered before it was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, 7,630 people registered for the virtual march. In 2022, the 80th anniversary of the forced march, more than 2,200 participated in the march, held virtually again.

This year, participants in the memorial march were required to complete the distance between March 20-27 and within 24 hours of starting.

More than 8,600 participated in the 30th Bataan Memorial Death March, staged Sunday, March 17, 2019, at White Sands Missile Range.
More than 8,600 participated in the 30th Bataan Memorial Death March, staged Sunday, March 17, 2019, at White Sands Missile Range.

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WSMR reported organizers are optimistic that the event will be held in-person on the Army installation in 2023.

Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Bataan Memorial Death March goes virtual again, drawing 2,200