Goodfellow Army members participate in Bataan Death March Memorial Published April 4, 2013 By 1st Lt. Leanne Hedgepeth 17 TRW/PA GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas-- -- More than 5,000 people participated in the 24th Annual 71st commemorative Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, March 17 2013 to honor the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II. These defenders sacrificed their freedom, health, and in many cases, their lives. Among the 5,000 participants, a group of 14 Goodfellow soldiers and one Army spouse volunteered for the experience. Staff Sgt. Dianne Smith, 344th Military Intelligence Battalion Charlie Company platoon sergeant, participated in the 26.2 mile memorial march and said the event was very humbling. The tiredness and thirst the Bataan victims endured; their march was much more arduous and the survivors ultimately became prisoners of war. "It was an honor to be part of a team supporting and embracing the spirit of Bataan," said Smith. Smith was in the military female light category, with her five person team. The light category means carrying water weight only. "We never trained as a team because of schedule constraints," said Smith. "Our goal was to just finish together but we ended up winning second in our category and fourth in the overall military light category." She heard about the memorial march from members of her battalion who had participated in years past. Smith recalled Sgt. 1st Class Kristie Young, 344th MIB NCO-in-charge of the intelligence and surveillance shop, sharing her experience and was motivated to try it out herself. "The hardest part of the event was during mile 16 when we were traveling up a mountain and hitting sand that was ankle deep," said smith. "We also hit a head wind at the end adding to the physical challenge." Smith had competed in a number of different runs. She wanted to experience the history and have the honor to meet the survivors of the original Bataan march since there are few left.
