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Register soon for Bataan memorial march

The Army’s White Sands Missile Range, N.M., will host the upcoming 18th annual Bataan Memorial Death March, according to an Army press release.

Mail-in registration has already ended, while online registrations will be accepted through Sunday. Individuals can participate for $50 while team registration costs $200.

Late registrations, which cost twice as much, will be accepted March 19-22. No onsite registrations will be accepted.

On March 25, thousands of soldiers, veterans and civilians are expected to march 26 miles to honor the military veterans who defended the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor-defense forts of the Philippines at the onset of World War II. They fought in a malaria-infested region, surviving on limited food, with little or no medical care, outdated equipment and virtually no air support.

On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers surrendered to Japanese forces. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. The survivors faced death or years of hardship in prisoner- of- war camps.

The nearly 3,900 soldiers and civilians who participated in the 2006 Bataan Memorial Death March represented the Army and all 50 states, as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and South Korea, Command Sgt. Maj. Allen Fritzsching of the Developmental Test Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md, ,said in the release.

Survivors of the actual World War II death march were present and recognized for their wartime service and sacrifices.

Team and individual marchers compete in various categories, such as “Military Men’s Heavy,” for military members willing to shoulder heavy rucksacks, and “Military Men’s Light,” in which marchers wear a pistol belt and web gear instead of rucksacks.

The final deadline for registration is midnight March 22. For details, go online to www.bataanmarch.com.