Seven From Keesler Finish Bataan Memorial March Published April 25, 2008 By Susan Griggs Keesler News Staff KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- March 30, seven Keesler members paid special homage to the military members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II. They were among the 4,400 people who joined the 26.2-mile Bataan Memorial Death March through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The 19th annual event, the nation's largest military memorial march, broke previous participation records. Keesler's marchers were Capt. Michael Zink, 332nd Training Squadron; Capt. Elizabeth Najera, Staff Sgt. Zarai Alvarez-Costeno and Airman 1st Class Ryan Britten, 81st Medical Operations Squadron; Master Sgt. Jeffery Green, 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron; and Airmen 1st Class Kayla Spiel and Danuta Krokovay, 81st Inpatient Operations Squadron. The memorial march recalls March 1942, when Japanese forces forced American and Filipino prisoners of war to march in the scorching heat to Camp O'Donnell, about 70 away. They were undernourished and ill. Approximately 5,000 to 10,000 Filipinos and from 600 to 650 Americans perished. The National Museum of the United States Air Force noted the POWs, already desperately weakened by hunger and disease, suffered unspeakably during the march. If they couldn't keep up the pace, they were executed. Some guards made a cruel sport of hurting or killing the POWs. Keesler's marchers had a variety of motivations for participating in the event. "I'm a World War II junkie, and I'm receiving my master's degree in military studies in June," Sergeant Green explained. "I thought it would be great to meet the gentlemen who went through this hell, plus I like physical challenges." "I wanted to experience what some of our soldiers have experienced, even if on a smaller scale," Captain Zink said. "I also wanted the challenge - it's the greatest feeling to push yourself to the limit and succeed." Captain Najera and Airman Krokovay said the history and the physical challenges appealed to them. "I set out to see if my body could accomplish such a thing," Sergeant Alvarez-Costeno remarked. "Once I started to learn more about Bataan, it totally changed to doing the march for all those who actually went through it." Airman Spiel had never heard of the march before, but signed up at Airman Krokovay's invitation. "When we got there and saw and heard stories from the survivors, that definitely motivated me," she commented. Sergeant Green was the only one of the Keesler members who had ever undertaken such a long-distance trek before, participating in the Air Force Marathon at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in September. However, about three weeks before leaving for New Mexico, he and Captains Zink and Najera, Sergeant Alvarez-Costeno and Airman Krokovay undertook what they called the Mississippi Death March, a 24-mile hike along the Tuxachanie Trail. The distance was similar to the Bataan march, but the course was flat and wooded - not much like the mountainous, sandy desert. The elevation ranged from 4,100 to 5,300 feet above sea level. The Bataan marchers wore battle dress uniforms and combat boots for the event. Sergeant Green ran about 100 miles in his boots around the base and his neighborhood to prepare for the challenge. "This march was one of the toughest experiences I've ever had," Captain Zink recalled. "It was physically challenging because of the altitude, the terrain and our attire. There's no section of the course that's easy - it's uphill for the most part, with sand and wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour." "It was difficult to run because of the change in altitude," Captain Najera pointed out. "I had some difficulty controlling my breathing when I ran." The last six miles were the most challenging for Airman Krokovay. "People were yelling, 'Only six miles to go!' which sounded like another marathon to me at that point," she remembered. "No matter how much you train, I don't believe you can prepare yourself fully for the experiences you encounter," Airman Spiel pointed out. "It's demanding physically, mentally and spiritually - you feel ashamed for having thoughts of wanting to quit, then you see everyone else move forward and you just keep pushing yourself. "It's difficult to keep focused on what you're doing and what you need to accomplish. "When I crossed the 25-mile marker, they were handing out these little American flags," she continued. "My hands were so swollen from the heat that I could barely hold on to it. That made me sad, but I held on to that flag in honor of those men." The day before the march, some of the survivors from the Bataan Death March met with people who were participating, which ended up as one of the most memorable experiences for the Keesler marchers. "I don't think I would have taken away as much as I did if it weren't for them," Captain Zink emphasized. "They're all in their late 80s and they sat down and told their stories. "At the race, they're at the checkpoints cheering you on, shaking your hand and saying thanks," Captain Zink said. "At the 25-mile marker, there was a sign made by a child that told us to remember why we were doing this. At that point, I knew I had only scratched the surface of what they had endured and how tough it was." "Meeting the few survivors that are left really made all my little problems in life seem so miniscule," Airman Krokovay admitted. "During the 26.2 miles, we had 12 water stations with people encouraging us along the way. I finished with aches and pains all over my body, but during the last few miles, I was thinking that I probably wouldn't have survived the real Bataan march during World War II."