Vernon Resident Commemorating Bataan Death March At Endurance Event

NORTHFIELD, VT — Vernon's Joseph Chatterton is about to participate in an endurance event that not only tests the mettle of a military unit, but commemorates one of the most trying moments in U.S. History.

The 21-year-old Chatterton seems like a perfect fit for the Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2-mile endurance test that matches teams completing a marathon-distance course with 35-pound packs on the backs of its members in a dessert setting. After all, he is a junior ROTC Cadet at Norwich University and a political science and history major.

The event is slated for Sunday at in the high desert of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

"Our school has entered competitions like this before, but this one takes on a special meaning," Chatterton said.

Indeed.

"The memorial march is conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health, and, in many cases, their very lives," organizer said about the event.

Race organizers pointed out that, on April 9, 1942, U.S. and Filipino troops surrendered after seven months of battle combined with exposure to the extreme elements, disease, and lack of vital supplies.

The captive soldiers were forced to march for days on a trek of approximately 65 miles through the scorching jungles of the Philippines. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of prisoner of war camps. The POWs would not see relief until 1945 when U.S. and Filipino forces recaptured the Bataan province on the island of Luzon.

"Bataan was a tragedy with the amount of soldiers lost and the war crimes and a it's not talked about as much as the events in Europe," Chatterton said. "Its an honor to bring attention to it."

Chatterton knows the history after studying Bataan at Norwich. The training, however has been another education.

He said tryouts for the event were staged right after Christmas. He covered the 12-mile tryout course with a 35-pound rucksack in an hour and 53 minutes to earn a spot on one of 2 teams of five for Norwich. Other military schools that traditionally participate include The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute and the service academies, along with some active duty teams.

The goal is for both teams to stay within 50 meters of each other and finish the 26.2-mile course with the 35-pound pack inside a four-hour window, Chatterton said. The teams will wear military-issue clothing and military boots.

There was one interesting element to the training — north central Vermont as opposed to the desert.

"We were training for sandy terrain in the desert in the snow," Chatterton said. "We layered up to simulate the heat, but it was very different from what we will be experiencing at White Sands."

A lot of cross-training was involved, he added.

"It will be a true honor to be there," Chatterton said. "It's good to remind people what those who went through the Bataan Death March endured."