By Sgt. David Freydin
4th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
‘Team Rough Riders’ had to maneuver between a record-breaking 7,200 participants and extreme dust at the Bataan Memorial Death March on March 19, 2017. (Photo by Sgt. David Freydin)
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. — While most were enjoying St. Patrick’s Day weekend, five “Rough Rider” Soldiers from the 4th Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, trudged through a grueling 26.2-mile course at the Bataan Memorial Death March, March 19, 2017.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March, the forcible transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II in April 1942. The 28th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March and it’s record-breaking 7,200 entrants kicked off in the early morning hours with an opening ceremony that included a tribute to the living survivors and a parachute demonstration from the U.S. Army Special Forces Command Black Daggers Parachute Demonstration Team.
Battling temperatures in the upper 80s and increasingly difficult terrain, the Rough Riders team took home gold, finishing first in the military male light division.
“The heat definitely made the race more challenging,” said Lt. Col. John Vann, member of Team Rough Riders. “Training in the high altitude of Colorado helped us prepare, but the heat was unrelenting. Nonetheless, I made sure to have fun and help motivate my teammates.”
Lt. Col. John Vann, member of Team Rough Riders Bataan Memorial Death March, flexes at mile marker 26, just a quarter of a mile before the finish line March 19, 2017. (Photo by Sgt. Master Sgt. Zine Elkouarati)
Team Rough Riders, from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 4th Inf. Div., included Vann, Division Materiel Readiness Center (DMRC) director; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert Lehman and Master Sgt. Zine Elkouarati, DMRC class 7 officer in charge and NCO in charge, respectively; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nicholas Penna, general supply services; and Sgt. David Freydin, brigade public affairs noncommissioned officer.
Elkouarati, team organizer, tackled the Death March once before, but waited 15 years to take the opportunity to make his return to New Mexico.
“I’m always excited to come out here,” he said. “The Bataan (Memorial) Death March is one of my favorite events because it’s all about teamwork, heart and determination. We started training three months ago, two times a week, in full uniform at Fort Carson. Even though we are competing in the lightweight division (without wearing packs), we made our training more difficult by rucking with at least 35 pounds on our backs.”
Many competitors donned small posters on their rucksacks with photos of Bataan prisoners of war for motivation. With an average age of 42, the members of Team Rough Riders had a variety of motivating factors.
Teammates, Lt. Col. John Vann and Master Sgt. Zine Elkouarati, show off their 4th Infantry Division patches at the opening ceremony before stepping off for the Bataan Death March on March 19, 2017. (Photo by Sgt. David Freydin)
“As an older guy, it’s important to show people my age that it can be done,” said Vann, 51. “Most importantly, I want to be an inspiration to my 13-year-old son who wants to be an Olympic runner one day.”
For Lehman it was all about camaraderie and overcoming adversity.
“We worked as a team to push and pull each other in difficult spots,” he said. “One person would take the lead and set the pace, and the others would follow. I didn’t want to let my teammates down.”
He also garnered strength by remembering those that the event honors.
“When I started to feel pain, all I could do was imagine how bad the prisoners had it and used that for motivation,” he said. “After the halfway point it was all mind-over-matter for me. I had to remind myself it was almost three times as far for them with temperatures over 100 degrees. If they could do it, I could do it, too.”
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nicholas Penna, member of Team Rough Riders, leads the way for his teammates at the Bataan Death March on March 19, 2017. The most experienced on the team, Penna set the pace for the majority of the march. (Photo by Sgt. Master Sgt. Zine Elkouarati)
The Bataan Memorial Death March featured a checkpoint every 2-4 miles, consisting of food, bathroom and medical services. With the extreme heat March 19, 2017, and record participation, the medical tents saw a spike in injuries. (Photo by Master Sgt. Zine Elkouarati)