Bataan Memorial Death March

Whenever I hear Taps I can’t help but get a lump in my throat. I’m here at the opening ceremony of the Bataan Death March, a 26.2 mile journey to remember and honor thousands of US and Filipino WWII POWs who were forced to march for miles to prison camps with little food or water. Thousands died on the trip through the jungles in the Philippines and many more perished in the camps. 

The course today is on White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces NM and is mostly run on hilly dirt roads through the desert. Many participants march in full military gear with heavy packs and service units and civilian teams compete in various categories. 

Butterfield Overland Mail

The passenger, retired Civil War General J.J. Byrne, was shot in the breast and thigh. The driver, Ed Walde, miraculously wheeled the stage coach around and headed directly back to Fort Quitman. Turning a mule driven coach around in the narrow canyon was no easy task especially while under attack by Mescalero Apaches. 

Hitt Canyon

Don’t you hate it when the barista in your local coffee shop chain asks for your name? I always want to say I can’t tell you because I’m in the Witness Protection Program or better yet, give them some silly name. 

“What can I get started for you?” “I’d like a bravo skinny mocha frap-a-dilly with extra syrup...hold the whip though, I’m tryin’ to lose weight.” Your name? —Snort!— Ebenezer. Is that with an S or a Z? —Giggle— You can just call me Eb. Would you like to donate a dollar to help fight... NO!