Bataan Memorial Death March Published March 16, 2015 By Senior Airman Brittany Y. Bateman Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Bataan Memorial Death March honors a special group of World War II heroes. These brave soldiers were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. The conditions they encountered and the aftermath of the battle were unique. They fought in a malaria-infested region, surviving on half or quarter rations with little or no medical help. They fought with outdated equipment and virtually no air power. On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard. They marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of being a prisoner of war. Others were wounded or killed when unmarked enemy ships, transporting prisoners of war to Japan, were sunk by U.S. air and naval forces. Five defenders from the 91st Missile Security Forces Squadron are participating in the Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, New Mexico, March 22, 2015. "We're doing the ruck march to pay tribute for the many soldiers who had to go through the real Bataan death march, where they had to march miles on end, and some even died during the march," said Airman 1st Class Brian Sneddon, 91st MSFS response force leader. "It's to better ourselves, and it's for a good cause." Staff Sgt. Jesse Koritar, another participant, says the team has been training for the past three months, putting in more than 100 miles and a little over 200 hours so far in training. "This is definitely one of those things where you find out who you are," Koritar said. "Especially when you're about 6 to 7 hours in and you're trying to finish up when your feet start bleeding and the pain kicks in, but eventually you find out who you are after those 26.2 miles." Sneddon said they've been doing a lot of rucking around base: cardio and abdominal training at the fitness center; and performing cross-fit to prepare for the march. This is the first year they've participated in the memorial march due to other temporary duty assignments. "This is a challenging event for us -- over 26.2 miles in rugged desert terrain," Koritar said. "We also get to build relations with other branches who are participating: United States Army Special Forces division, U.S Navy, and other countries. It's a great way to instill some proud heritage and tradition of your unit into this event." 91st Missile Security Forces team members: Staff Sgt. Jesse Koritar, team leader Staff Sgt. Robert Abshire, team member Senior Airman Blake Danielson, team member Airman 1st Class Jonathan Velazquez, team member Airman 1st Class Brian Sneddon, team member Editor's note: Some information in this article was taken from www.bataanmarch.com