Marching for Veteran Jobs
A group of us (Ryan Swasey, Albert Tao, Tas Pelikan, Peter Liu, and Jon Pan) are participating in the Bataan Memorial Death March on March 19, 2017 and we are raising $3,000 for the Call of Duty Endowment.
Every penny raised will be going to the Endowment, which focuses on helping veterans get jobs. We are paying for registration fees, travel, lodging, and equipment out of our own pockets.
We choose the Call of Duty Endowment because it is one of the most efficient, if not THE most efficient, deployment of capital for veteran job placement. In 2013, their average cost of placement was $1,286. In 2016, it was $596. That's why we are raising $3,000 - so each of the five of us could sponsor one veteran job placement.
If you are in LA, we welcome you to shadow train with us via our Google training calendar. Also, you are welcome to participate during our weekend marches. If you can even donate $1 - great! If not, please consider sharing this with others.
Here's some history about the Bataan Death March itself: Soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese forces began the invasion of the Philippines. The capture of the Philippines was crucial to the Japanese. It would bring them one step closer to the control of the Southwest Pacific. The Philippines were just as important to the U.S. Having troops in the Philippines gave the U.S. footing in the Southwest Pacific. After the invasion of the Philippines, U.S.-Filipino troops defended the crucial lands.
On April 9, 1942, 75,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers surrendered after seven months of battle combined with exposure to the extreme elements, disease, and lack of vital supplies. The tens of thousands of U.S. and Filipino soldiers were forced to become prisoners of war to the Japanese.
The soldiers were deprived of food, water, and medical attention, and were forced to march 65 miles to confinement camps throughout the Philippines.
During the Bataan Death March, approximately 10,000 men died. Of these men, 1,000 were American and 9,000 were Filipino.
The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the Bataan Memorial Death March in 1989. The memorial march was to mark a page in history that included many native sons and affected many families in the state. In 1992, White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard joined in the sponsorship and the event was moved to the White Sands Missile Range.
For more history, click here: http://bataanmarch.com/about-bataan/
April 9, 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March and we encourate others to participate as well.
Thank you,
Ryan, Albert, Tas, Peter, and Jon