Cadets march to honor past heroes

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Dustin Hart
  • 347th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Before the sun rose over the New Mexico desert March 26, more than 3,500 people gathered at the White Sands Missile Range with one mission: to push their bodies to the limit while trekking 26.2 miles over the range’s harsh terrain.

For five Valdosta State University Air Force ROTC Detachment 172 cadets, the treacherous journey was the least they could do to honor past heroes.

The cadets competed for the second consecutive year in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March, which honors the sacrifices made by thousands of American and Filipino troops in April 1942. Following months of ferocious fighting in the austere, disease-infested Bataan Peninsula, more than 70,000 Allied troops were surrendered to the Japanese military.

Following the surrender, the group was forced to travel more than 60 miles north to a prisoner of war camp. During the one-week march, approximately 10,000 soldiers died. Many others died while held in captivity.

“To be there and see the opening ceremony (where they announce the survivors present and those who died in the past year), it makes you want to cry,” said Cadet Daniel Fischer, a co-captain for this year’s team. “You also get to see the survivors throughout the course encouraging you. By mile 12, you are tired, but these guys marched more than 60 miles in much worse conditions.”

Honoring the surviving heroes was the common thread which inspired the cadets to keep marching.

“These guys went through one of the toughest events I have ever heard of,” said Cadet Alex Early. “This is the least I could do to honor their service.”

The five-man team competed in the military heavy category, which required them to complete the march in full Battle Dress Uniform, including combat boots, while carrying a minimum 35-pound ruck-sack.

The cadets faced a course which wound more than 26 miles around the White Sands range, mixing a variety of terrains from asphalt to shin-deep sand with elevation changes from 4,100 to a peak of more than 5,300 feet.

“The physical pain climaxed at mile 11,” Cadet Fischer said. “After that it was all mental and whether you had the will to finish what you started. Even if you are the biggest marathon stud, if you are not strong enough to help your teammates finish, it doesn’t matter.”

The cadets agreed the course’s toughest challenge was the “Sand Pit.” The approximate mile-long patch of ankle- and shin-deep sand awaited the participants after mile 20.

“I was literally pulled through it by Cadet Fischer,” said Cadet Taylor Poole. “It was mentally challenging but you just have to keep pushing.”

“People who have marched before say the first half is the first 20 miles,” Cadet Fischer added. “The last six miles really tests and deceives you.”

This is the second year a group of VSU cadets competed in the march. Last year, the cadets formed two teams and eight of the 10 participants finished the race, including Cadet Fischer and Cadet Robert Meeks.

The two cadets, who served as this year’s co-captains, used this experience to better the team’s performance.

This year’s team finished the trek in 7 hours and 55 minutes, beating last year’s time by more than 30 minutes. The improved time led to a seventh-place finish out of 16 ROTC teams in the heavy category.

To prepare for this year’s event, the cadets used a training regiment similar to that used by marathon runners.

“We would start with two to three-mile marches and ramp up to the 11-mile marches,” Cadet Fischer said. “The most important thing was to spend the time being on your feet to get them conditioned for the event.”

The team would also meet early on the weekends to do long marches around Valdosta.

“When we trained on the weekends, it was me and the most motivated group of guys in our detachment,” said Cadet Meeks. “Their dedication made it that much easier to roll out of bed on Saturday and devote my morning to a long march.”

Following this year’s improved performance, the group hopes the march will become a cadet tradition.

“If you had asked me at mile 20 whether I wanted to do this again, I would have told you no,” said Cadet Early. “As soon as we crossed the finish line, however, I knew I would come back and do it again.”

This type of extreme motivation and dedication to a cause is hard to explain to the cadet’s colleagues, said Cadet Fischer.

“We try to explain it, but when it’s all said and done, most are not going to understand,” he said. “But if I can do this for 26 miles, why should I just sit on the couch? I need to go out there and show these heroes the respect they deserve.”