Fort Knox--A legacy, usually defined as something given or received from an ancestor or predecessor, isn't always about money or possessions. Sometimes it is about heart and spirit.
As Gen. Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines in WWII, just prior to the Japanese invasion, he swore he would return to the island even as his forces continued fighting. And although he eventually did, it was too late for more than 70,000 Filipino and American service men and women who were captured by Japanese forces and forced to march more than 60 miles through Bataan--most of it without food and water.
One of the units captured at Bataan during April of 1942 was from the New Mexico National Guard. And one man, Eduardo Chavez--like many of the survivors--left a legacy for family and friends.
Cadet Jacob Meurer, who attends the University of New Mexico, has participated for the last two years in the Bataan Memorial Death March held in White Sands New Mexico in honor of that NMNG unit. And the reason he participates, Meurer said, was because of Eduardo Chavez, who was a family friend.
Chavez survived the march, carrying a fellow soldier part of the way. He was held by Japanese forces for three year before being freed. Later he married and started a family.
When Meurer found out earlier this spring that he had been selected for the ROTC Cultural Understanding Language and Proficiency program and he would be going to the Philippines, he said he was happy for the selection opportunity. The mission of the CULP Cadets, most of whom were nurses, was to help the Guam National Guard teach its emergency responder course to the Philippine military and to learn the local languages and cultures.
But when he found out the trip included a day on the Bataan Peninsula, he was elated.
"It was amazing to see something that is such a huge part of the history of my state," Meurer said. "We take a lot of pride in the part we had in it. Our sister school, New Mexico State, is actually known as the Bataan Battalion."
He added that for most of his life he had heard about Bataan and had participated in events like the Memorial march, but he never thought he would ever have a chance to see where it all happened.
"When I heard my group was going to actually be able to see it I was ecstatic. The group was very reverent and respectful at the site which was an amazing thing to witness," he said. "We all were very touched and got a full grasp of the brutality of the march."
While the Cadet said he came away from the trip with many ideas and notes, there were a few that stuck out.
"The towering memorial structures that were built at both the camp site and where the final stand was made for the United States and Filipino forces is really a testament to the relationship that our group found is still there between the U.S. and Filipino army," he explained. "This relationship is especially prevalent between the Guam National Guard and Filipino military. In fact, shortly after we left (from our CULP mission) three Americans from the Guam National Guard gave their lives trying to render aid to Filipino forces fighting guerrilla rebels (in the southern Philippines)."
The tour of Bataan and its memorials taught Meurer something about himself, he added.
"As we were looking at names on the memorials we saw majors and even colonels right next to privates. I (re-learned) that no matter what the rank, we suffer together and need to band together to fight through the tough obstacles in our lives," he said. "Working together to get through hardships is what makes us the greatest Army in the world."
Meurer plans on participating in the Memorial march again this year and the lesson he learned about himself on Bataan is one that goes well with the one he learned during the Memorial march last year: brotherhood.
"Brotherhood is a huge factor in doing the toughest things in life," he explained. "I did (the march) on a team and we relied heavily on each other for motivation and help. I would not have completed it without them. It will be different to think about what I saw in the Philippines during the march (this year). Yeah it's hard, but it's really nothing compared to how these heroes suffered and overcame."
Today, it is known as the Bataan Death March--but to those who were being forced along it, it was probably just known as "hell." However, what many of those survivors, to include Chavez, brought home were lessons of compassion for each other, brotherhood, resilience and determination--a legacy to pass on to leaders of tomorrow, leaders like Meurer.
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