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Local Young Marines complete Bataan Memorial Death March

Miami Valley Young Marine Gunnery Sgt. John Sollinger and Unit Commander Keagan Miller, wearing 47-pound packs, celebrate their 8-mile progress in the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands, NM. They had only 18.2 miles to go to complete the hike. YM/Sgt. Karl Slader, 15, of Fairborn and YM/LCpl. Emma Marlow, 13, of Troy also participated in the memorial march. (Contributed photo)

Miami Valley Young Marine Gunnery Sgt. John Sollinger and Unit Commander Keagan Miller, wearing 47-pound packs, celebrate their 8-mile progress in the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands, NM. They had only 18.2 miles to go to complete the hike. YM/Sgt. Karl Slader, 15, of Fairborn and YM/LCpl. Emma Marlow, 13, of Troy also participated in the memorial march. (Contributed photo)
Local News
By Contributed story
March 29, 2019
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It was a two-day, cross-country journey for three Miami Valley Young Marines and two adult staff members. They travelled from the Miami Valley to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for a unique and challenging experience – the Bataan Memorial Death March.

The actual Bataan Death March refers to the U.S. and Philippine troops who surrendered to the Japanese forces on April 9, 1942, in the Bataan Peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon during World War II. On that day, 75,000 Filipino and American service members were forced to perform an arduous, 65-mile march to their prison camp. This forced march subjected them to intense heat and harsh treatment by the Japanese guards. Thousands died along the route.

The memorial hike commemorates those who survived or perished on the original march.

Young Marine GySgt. John Sollinger, 18, of Huber Heights, YM/Sgt. Karl Slader, 15, of Fairborn and YM/LCpl. Emma Marlow, 13, of Troy joined two of their adult leaders for the 26.2-mile memorial hike on March 17, 2019. Two other Young Marine units also participated: the Tornado Alley Young Marines of Wichita, Kansas, and the West Texas Young Marines of El Paso, Texas.

“We knew going into the event that it was going to be difficult,” said Karl Slader, platoon sergeant of the Miami Valley Young Marines. “The difficulty of this 26.2-mile hike really put into perspective how horrific the march was for those who endured the real one in 1942.”

All the members of the Miami Valley Young Marines and the other two units completed the entire hike. While there was plenty of pain and blisters upon completion, none of them regretted their participation in the Bataan Memorial Death March.

To learn more about the hike, visit https://bataanmarch.com/.

The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501c (3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age 8 through the completion of high school. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.For more information, visit www.miamivalleyyoungmarines.com or www.youngmarines.com.

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