ROTC students take on second Bataan March

For 13 students and two instructors in UW-River Falls’ Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC, program, Spring Break was a much different experience than for most others at the university. The team spent the beginning of their break traversing 26.2 miles of New Mexico desert for the ROTC program’s annual Bataan Death March.

“We’re doing this to bring people together,” Capt. Stephen Trotter, Assistant Professor of Military Science at UWRF, said. “It’s Spring Break, [but] it’s not going to the beach. It’s for fun, but it’s not for fun. There’s a deeper meaning behind the historical significance of the march: personally challenging yourself, and bringing people together as part of a team.”

The ROTC team for the second annual march consisted of Capt. Trotter and Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Pigman, Military Science Instructor at UWRF, and UWRF students from a range of majors and academic years: Joshua Brauer, Nathan Fliszar, Mathias Gerhards, Aaron Greiber, Brady Kaufmann, James Kurtz, Christopher Lorsung, Jonathan Lorsung, Leah Lowe, Mirisa Lunzer, Justin Malecha, Grace McDole, and Dylan Sexton.

The team spent months preparing for the march, in which each participant carried a 35-pound or heavier pack–commonly called a ruck– for the 26.2 miles. “I did the calculations,” Brady Kaufmann said. “We did over 125 miles [of training] within a five-to-six-month span.”

The Bataan Death March has been held at White Sands Missile Range, NM, since 1989 and honors the march of the same name, which took place in World War II, in April 1942. Over 76,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced by Japanese soldiers to march over 66 miles through the Philippines. An estimated 54,000 survived. 

There are a number of reasons why the students decided to undertake the marathon hike through White Sands Missile Range. For some of the students, those reasons are connected to family. “I discovered I had a relative who was a part of the original Bataan Death March,” Nathan Fliszar said.  “I was able to carry his knife while there. I thought it was a great memorial and a way to honor those who were in that march.”

The event hosts a multitude of different marchers, from individuals in the military to veterans and civilians. UWRF’s ROTC program has participated since 2023. “As we were marching, it became clear that the weight that I was carrying on my back was not the only weight that I had with me,” Mirisa Lunzer said. “Veterans in my life and in my family, some who aren’t with us today… I was carrying their support but also the weight of their memory.”  

“For me, it was a great way to show me that there are no excuses,” Christopher Lorsung said.  “I saw a guy complete the march, and he didn’t have a leg because he was off serving his country.... That showed me that I shouldn’t define myself by what I can’t do, but what I can do.”

“I just wanted to be a part of something bigger,” Justin Malecha said. “Bataan illustrated that for me, along with building comradery among the program. Going down with 12 other cadets and spending time with them during our spring break was really cool, and an exciting adventure for us.”

The course took the team through various terrains, including a consistent five-mile incline, trails around the base of a mountain, and a mile-long sand pit. “The most difficult part for me was… the sand pit,” Malecha said. “That was really a gut-check moment.”

Members of the team experienced not only physical challenges, but mental and emotional challenges as well. “Figuring out where you were and how much more you’re going to have to go, [and] convincing yourself that it’s almost over, even though you had so many miles left, was mentally tough,” Leah Lowe said.

“The hardest for me was to fight off those negative emotions and just remain positive,” Jonathan Lorsung said. The members of the UWRF ROTC team endured the difficulty of the march with no injuries, and left the event with a swath of memories.

“A fond memory is when we completed the march,” James Kurtz said.  “When you get to drop your ruck it’s the best feeling in the world…. I think being able to hop up and hobble over to a grassy hill and look up at the sky, just taking all the emotion in about everything we all accomplished, is where it really hit [me].”

Capt. Trotter mentioned the bonds that the cadets built while on the march. “Nothing builds teams like shared hardships, when you go through something really difficult and painful together… knowing that you’re not alone. Watching 13 students come out the other side of it with that bond and that experience together, it’s hard to replicate something like that.”

“Some of the greatest memories you’re going to have are memories of those times when you did those challenging events and tasks and came out on the other end,” Sgt. 1st Class Pigman said. “Just the bigger picture. There’s a lot of value to continue this as our tradition.”

Funding for the team to attend the march came from UWRF’s College of Education, Business, and Allied Health; and Dean Muhammad Chishty, who set aside money from the Dean’s Fund to sponsor the trip. “I love the ROTC program and would obviously like to support it as much as I can,” he said. “It was an activity that I believed would be a great experience for the cadets in the program. I was very happy that I was able to support it.”

“I personally thought it was really awesome of the college to help fund this and help us go and do it,” Dylan Sexton said.

“The generosity of the College of Education, Business, and Allied Health… speaks volumes in this institution with how much people want to come together and see it happen,” Capt. Trotter said. On March 28, 2023, UWRF was named a Military Friendly School for the 2024-2025 school year, and has been for multiple years in a row.

“Knowing everything that [the march] took: between a student organizing the training [and] campaigning for the support and funds from the college, and then the belief and trust from the faculty and staff to take 13 students halfway across the country… the belief in that mission just means so much to me,” Trotter said. “It has been one of the most enriching experiences I’ve ever had in my military career.”