Press Release
☷NY Air Guard Chief Completes Memorial Bataan Death March
National Guard ( By Press Release office)
Mar 27,2024
| 12| 1
New York Air National Guard Chief Master Sgt . Patricia Pullar remembered the excitement building as she and her fellow racers stood together at the start of the 35th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands Missile Range , N . M . Over 5 , 000 participants from around the world took part in the 26 . 2 - mile course to honor the soldiers who endured the Bataan Death March during World War II . The original march was a grueling 65 - mile trek where American and Filipino troops faced starvation , extreme weather , and abuse from their captors . Only a fraction of what the original marchers went through , Pullar felt emotional when crossing the finish line , thinking about the sacrifices made by those in uniform . This year , Pullar signed up for the event to challenge herself physically and show support for her fellow Airmen . She trained hard and competed in a military category , wearing her full Air Force uniform . With patches from her unit on her Camelback , Pullar carried food and drinks throughout the race . She knew that the true challenge would be mental , requiring resilience to push through . If you ' re determined to keep going and make it to the finish line , you ' ll get there , even if it ' s tough and doesn ' t look pretty . The race course has steep hills and sandy areas , starting at 4 , 000 feet and climbing to 5 , 500 feet before descending Mineral Hill and facing the challenging "Sand Pit . " Pullar made a new friend , a Space Force captain , who kept them motivated with conversation and humor . Despite the slow progress through the Sand Pit , having someone to talk to made the time pass faster and helped them reach the finish line .
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information:
Direct link to press release:
Click here .
