More signing on for memorial march

Bataan Memorial Death March honors soldiers in Philippines in WWII

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE — Officials are reporting an uptick in the number of registrants for the 2018 Bataan Memorial Death March.

The 29th running will take place Sunday, March 25, 2018, at WSMR. More than 1,150 participants had registered as of the first week of November, slightly more registrants than at the same point last year, organizers said in a news release.

More than 7,200 people ended up taking part in the 2017 event, which marked the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March. The 26.2-mile course honors the soldiers who defended the Philippines at the outbreak of World War II.

Participants — military members and civilians — compete in teams or as individuals. In the “heavy” division, each participant carries a 35-pound rucksack. The event also features a 14.2-mile, noncompetitive route.

Participants may register online at bataanmarch.com.

Here is a look at Bataan by the numbers:

68,000-plus: The approximate number of prisoners of war who were surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army during the fall of Bataan in World War II. Many of the prisoners were starved, sick and debilitated.

38,000-plus: The approximate number of Filipino civilians who were captured by the Japanese army at Bataan.

80,000: The estimated number of U.S. and Filipino military, as well as civilians, who started on the Bataan Death March.

54,000: The estimated number of prisoners of war who made it to Camp O’Donnell at the end of the Bataan Death March.

5,000 to 10,000: Estimate of the number of Filipinos who died during the Bataan Death March. Multiple sources listed various approximate numbers.

500 to 650: The estimated number of Americans who died during the Bataan Death March.

60 to 69.6: The approximate distance in miles of the Bataan Death March. Multiple sources listed varying distances. The Bataan Death March was from Mariveles to San Fernando.

5: The number of days it took to complete the march.

1,816: The number of New Mexicans who served with the 200th Coastal Artillery and 515th Coast Artillery at Bataan. They were members of the New Mexico National Guard.

829: New Mexicans who died in battle, as prisoners of war, and after liberation, according to the New Mexico National Guard.

987: New Mexicans who survived the Bataan Death March.

SOURCE: U.S. AIR FORCE Airmen, carrying 35-pound rucksacks, participate in the 2016 Bataan Memorial Death March with 6,600 other participants March 20, 2016, at White Sands Missile Range. The annual march is 26.2 miles long.