Remembering Bataan

Last year, a group of San Marcos High School Air Force ROTC students learned about an overshadowed conflict in the Philippines that took place during World War II, and it sparked in them a series of questions.

The first were surface-level inquiries: What was the Bataan Death March? When did it happen, why and how?

Then came deeper questions as the ROTC students wanted to learn more about the march, which resulted in around 17,000 Filipino and American soldiers’ deaths. They wanted to know why they had never heard about the conflict before, and then they wanted to know what they could do to commemorate it.

“We were doing Wreaths Across America,” Cadet Captain Robert Gabrian saud, “and we were talking to our Major, pointing out graves and veterans who died. We saw this one for D-Day, and that one for the Battle of the Bulge, or that one for Pearl Harbor, but it said they died in the Philippines on the same day. We thought, ‘That doesn’t make sense.’ So we started researching. And once we found out about the event, we realized that there are memorials that people are doing for it.”

In March 2023, Gabrian — along with Cadet Colonel Corps Commander Demetrius Pastrano, Cadet First Lieutenant Tyler Heffelfinge and fellow Cadet Captains Elijah Valdez and Matthew Serrano, and under the guidance of Major Tony Williams — organized San Marcos’ first ever Memorial Bataan March.

The Bataan Death March began on April 9, 1942, as the forcible transfer of American and Filipino prisoners of war following the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines. POWs were forced to march from Mariveles to San Fernando to various detention camps, a distance of 65 miles. Because the casualty retrieval statistics from that conflict are unreliable, sources say that anywhere between 5,000 and 18,000 Filipino soldiers and 500 to 650 American soldiers died during the march.

“We thought, we need to find a way to memorialize this in San Marcos in a way that is reachable and obtainable,” Gabrian said. “I asked the Major, hey, can I get a bunch of cadets to do a death march with me? He immediately said, ‘Okay, yeah, you can get a plan going. We’ll organize something.”

Though last year’s event was something of a test run, the first annual Memorial Bataan March was definitely a success. The Cadet Captains have taken what learned from the experience to guide them in organizing this year’s event.

“There’s always an education side to this,” Gabrian said. “That first event was very small. We got Canyon ROTC to come out with us, and a lot of local veterans. This year, it’s looking like it will be better than we’ve ever had before. Everyone wants to be at this event again because it’s such a big deal.”

This year’s Memorial Bataan March will take place at 7 a.m. March 23, starting at the San Marcos High School and ending at the Maurice T. Suttles VFW Post, for a total of 15 miles. Participants can sign up with a team of up to five members; individuals will be placed within groups. As part of the memorial march, participants can carry a 10-pound rucksack to represent the gear carried by the POWs who marched in the Philippines.

“That's not just bricks or rocks we carry,” Cadet Captain Matthew Serrano said. “It’s a food drive, so we march with canned food. We stop at the VFW post, they weigh it after and we donate it.”

“And then Canyon brought their stuff, too,” Gabrian added. “It was a lot.”

Pastrano emphasized that carrying a rucksack is not required and is not necessary for the competition of the march.

As the ROTC members organize for this year’s march, they emphasize that this is not a race but a chance for veterans, students and community members to come together to talk about the sacrifices soldiers made during this forgotten conflict.

“This is for memorialization,” Gabrian said. “We don’t go there with a team of joggers thinking we’re going to put our 10 pounds on and run ahead of everybody. It’s a memorial event.”

“You don’t have to carry ten pounds,” Pastrano added. “That’s only a suggestion.”

“It’s a 20-minute mile pace,” Gabrian assured. “You have five hours to do it. Five hours with a 10-pound rucksack isn’t something you just go do. You go prep, you go plan. But it’s something a high schooler can do.”

The San Marcos AFROTC program is active within SMHS and the community, participating in events such as the Veterans Day Parade, homecoming and graduation ceremonies. Sixty-five percent of the roughly 120 students involved in SMHS ROTC are college bound, boasting a 100% graduation rate.

“I feel like a lot of parents now still have that mindset that if I put my kid in Junior ROTC then they have to go into the military,” Serrano said. “Especially now with global conflicts, that is becoming more and more of a fear for them. But I first met Major during freshman orientation. My favorite video game was Kerbal Space Program. He said, ‘You need to be in ROTC’ because he teaches aerospace science. I said, “That sounds like it’s right up my alley.”

But when Serrano arrived in the classroom that first day, he learned something special about the program. “There were two students, Mikayla Rodriguez and Zoe Ramirez, and they’re our flight commanders — juniors — that are in charge of the class. I thought, ‘This is so cool that it’s basically student-led.”

“It is a unique program,” Gabrian said. “There’s nothing like it anywhere else.”

Major Williams agreed with that statement, adding that as a facilitator, he has enjoyed watching the members organize the event.

“I like to sit back and watch the magic as these guys put things together,” Williams said. “I believe it’s the best-kept secret at San Marcos High School.”

Now that the ROTC members have had some experience with organizing the Bataan March, other local schools have taken interest in expanding the program to their high schools.

“We’ve actually had other high schools ask if they can run it over there,” Gabrian said. “They want to do this so bad because it was a massive sacrifice made for us and our freedoms. What was the big quote?”

“Veterans gave their tomorrow so we can have today,” Serrano said.

Currently, the SMHS ROTC is seeking sponsors along the 15-mile route as well as accepting team and individual registrations for the march. Those interested in registering can sign up on the website at runsignup.com/Race/TX/ SanMarcos/Memorial-BataanMarch. Individuals are $30; Teams can register for $500. Prices are set to increase as of Jan. 31. Teams of three to five members will receive $5 off their registration fees.