JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Chief Petty Officer Natalie Dymond, Naval Technical Training Center Lackland master-at-arms instructor, competed in the 28th Annual Bataan Memorial March, March 19 at White Sands, N.M.
More than 7,200 participants of all ages gathered to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March.
"I signed up for the race to honor those who have served before me; those who paved the way with sheer willpower for my peers and junior Sailors," said Dymond. "I wanted them to know that anything is possible when you put your mind to it."
"I was a little nervous at first. This was my first time doing something like this," said Dymond. "The opening ceremony was very emotional. When they conducted roll call and named the three remaining survivors who were in attendance and those who have passed away since last March, I knew I had the strength to complete the race."
Dymond began preparing for the event in January with a rigorous training program. The program included weighted long distance hikes over various terrains and weighted stair climbing. Her routine also included running and calisthenics.
The Bataan Death March took place in April 1942 during World War II on the Bataan peninsula. On April 3, the Japanese army launched its final assault on Bataan after cutting off vital supply lines to American and Filipino forces for months. The assault lasted for seven days and proved too much for the physically depleted and disease stricken American and Filipino forces. The situation was grave and without reinforcements, defeat was inevitable. On April 9, the American commander surrendered.
The Japanese rounded up tens of thousands of prisoners and forced them to march 65 miles north to detention camps. The arduous trek in the blistering heat; the deliberate lack of water, food, and medical attention; and the cruelty of the Japanese soldiers resulted in an estimated 7,000-10,000 prisoner deaths. Thousands upon thousands of prisoners perished under the harsh conditions and cruelty at the hands of the Japanese over the next three years. The prisoners who survived saw their freedom in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the allied forces.
The 26.2 mile memorial course spanned the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range. The terrain ranged from concrete to loose sands.
Dymond, who competed with a 35 pound ruck sack, finished in 6th place in the female heavy category with a time of 470 minutes, and her average pace was 17:56 minutes per mile. The race Marathon Guide considers the race as one of the top 30 marathons in the United States.
The memorial march began in 1989 by means of a sponsorship from the New Mexico State University U.S. Army ROTC department. The march is in remembrance of the many natives in the area directly affected by the Bataan Death March. Since its inception, the march was only cancelled once due to Operation Iraqi Freedom and the extensive deployment of units who usually support the event.