Associates Take Relevancy Message to Thousands at Bataan Memorial March

With the San Andres Mountains overlooking them, associates from Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range took the message of the Exchange’s relevancy to nearly 8,700 people from throughout the world who marched 26 miles to remember the fallen heroes of World War II’s Bataan Death March.

During the 30^th annual Bataan Memorial March, service members, Reserve forces, military retirees, Wounded Warriors, civilians, Veterans and other participants honored the Warfighters who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II before being overwhelmed by the Japanese. More than 5,000 family members supported the events in some way.

“Every year this event is looked forward to by all the White Sands team as their favorite part of the year,” said Jane Hickok, who manages the Exchange’s White Sands troop store. “Although it presents challenges and lots of hard work goes into getting ready, serving people in the memorial march is one of the most rewarding experiences for the team.

“They get to interact with new faces, which include Veterans, Wounded Warriors, service members and marathon enthusiasts from all over the world. We get the privilege of engaging with the customers and learning what the march means to them, why and who they are marching for.”

‘Rolling relevancy’

The store opened at 4:30 a.m. Sunday to provide coffee and breakfast for customers and stayed open until 8 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the store opened at 6:30 a.m. to serve people who had camped out at the site.

“We were fully stocked and ran the registers,” Hickok said.

Jose Hernandez, left, the Exchange’s Veterans Service Organization and Military Service Organization outreach manager, meets 101-year-old Bataan Death March survivor COL Ben Skardon and Cadet Felix Apodaca.

At the Las Cruces Convention Center where the marchers congregated, associates from Fort Bliss and Exchange headquarters shared information about the Veterans online shopping benefit, the upcoming Vietnam War 50^th anniversary pinning ceremonies on March 29, and the relevancy of Exchange support for Warfighters and their families.

The Exchange team at White Sands Missile Range coordinated the annual parking-lot carnival, where food and specialty vendors treated marchers and their family of supporters with giveaways.

The mobile field Exchange served as a “rolling relevancy” billboard to share the organization’s “We go where you go” mission.

‘Honor the heroes’

Managers and associates at Fort Bliss, White Sands and the Dallas headquarters began planning for the march in November. In January, General Manager Michael Brennan and his managers Susan Ribail, Graciela Tunon, Paula Bradford, Jasim Galceran and Hickok kicked into high gear, scheduling food trucks and concessions, ensuring Hickok’s store had enough merchandise, and everything, such as extra cash registers, were ready to handle the crowd.

The HR team from Fort Bliss came to White Sands on the days leading up to the march to help wherever they’re needed.

“At this very important occasion where we honor the heroes of the Bataan Death March, we are grateful for the people who came out on this day,” said Jose Hernandez, the Exchange’s Veterans Service Organization and Military Service Organization outreach manager. “Exchanges, including many in the South Pacific, served the troops throughout World War II and continue to do so today by providing merchandise and services that make the lives of Soldiers, Airmen, their families, military retirees and now all honorably discharged Veterans much easier.”

The Battle of Bataan was the first major military campaign of the Asian theater in World War II after the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Bataan Death March in 1942 was the forcible, 65-mile march of 60,000 to 80,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war to confinement camps throughout the Philippines. More than 1,000 Americans and 9,000 Filipinos died during the march.

View photos of the march and how Exchange associates served the participants. View photos in the Exchange’s Flickr history album of exchanges in the Philippines after the country was retaken from the Japanese. Go to the “post-World War II” category.