CLASS CATALOG SPAN 209: INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH CIVILIZATION ROTC Bataan Death March to honor fallen

By Hailey Steidle Staff writer

On Sunday, March 19, sever Mercyhurst ROTC cadets will travel to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for the annual Bataan Memorial Death March.

The Bataan Death March is a world-recognized event that commemorates the heroic service members who defended the Philippines during World War II.

Cadets are currently running a series of fundraisers in order to raise enough money for their travels. Because the cadets will be driving from Erie to New Mexico they will need the funds to rent a van as well as funds for the gas it will take to get there and back.

Do you like Spanish culture? Do you like learning about the history of countries? Do you like the idea of countries having a royal family? Then this course would be perfect for you!

This course counts toward the Human and Connections(H) REACH curriculum category. However, students have to have taken SPAN 204 or an equivalent test to ensure their level of Spanish is sufficient enough to be able to get through the course.

The course is offered every other year in the Spring. So it is currently being offered now and will be offered in Spring 2025. There are 11 students currently in the class and they are all different majors but most have at least one major or minor in Spanish.

The course description on SelfService says, “This course presents an introduction to the culture and history of Spain. Literature, lecture, film and art introduce the student to the geography, history and politics of Spain as well as contemporary issues such as regionalism, immigration and the European Union which are shaping modern Spain.”

Students will write essays in Spanish, analyze poems and pieces of art and learn about the history of the royal family throughout Spain’s history. Spain has been around for far longer than the United States, so there is a lot of history that needs to be covered. Obviously what is learned in the class is not all the history of Spain, but the class only meets twice a week, so Edwards had to cut out the less important things.

This course is taught all in Spanish by Alice Edwards, Ph.D., Chair of the World Languages Department and Professor of Spanish. Anyone who has had Edwards as a professor knows how passionate she is about Spanish and her students, so she tries to make her courses fun and enjoyable for the students.

Edwards’ concentration of her academic studies surrounds literature so that is seen in most of her classes. Yes, the readings are in Spanish so if you are not confident in your reading skills in another language, you may want to reconsider this course.

Senior double major in Psychology and Spanish, Ally Burrington is currently in the course. “I love this course, Dr. Edwards makes learning all the material fun,” Burrington said.

Senior double majoring in Intelligence Studies and Spanish, Allison Siegmann is also taking the course this semester.

“I highly recommend this course to anyone who is remotely interested in early history and Spanish culture,” she said. “The class is always fun as we are all comfortable talking with each other since the class is so small.”

If anyone has questions regarding this course, reach out to Edwards directly for the best answers!

On April 9, 1942, thousands of American and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to the Japanese forces and were forced to march more than 60 miles through the heat of the Philippine jungles, thousands of individuals died and those who were able to survive became prisoners of war camps.

In order to memorialize this event, the Bataan Memorial Death March was founded in 1989 and has been held every year since in the same location.

The march itself is a challenging and grueling marathon that is said to test both the participants’ mental and physical abilities as they march through a high desert terrain for 26.2 miles with a 35-pound rucksack on their backs.

Since its creation the memorial march has grown from roughly 100 marchers at the original event to over 6500 marchers in the most recent march. The participants come from all across the United States as well as several foreign countries.

The course itself is a stretch of both paved and sandy trails that covers a full 26.2-mile marathon distance or, for some who choose to partake, there is also an option of a 14.2-mile honorary distance.

The march has been regarded by the Marathon Guide as one of the top 30 marathons in the United States.

The race is made up of two individuals’ categories, the light and heavy, and finally the team category. The team’s category includes exactly five individuals who are only allowed to finish the race if all members finish together, based on the principle that one does not leave a teammate behind.

Within the two divisions it is broken up into civilian and military, while it is still primarily a military event. In the light category participants can wear any standard distance-running apparel. The heavy division, which the Mercyhurst cadets are taking part in, is a little different as individuals must wear a minimum of 35 pounds in rucksacks or backpacks while wearing their Army combat uniform or other service equivalent uniforms.

ROTC cadet Lilly English shared about the event.

“With your support and donation to our GOFundMe, please aid in our team’s mission to be able to go and participate in this unique memorial event,” English said.

“The Bataan Memorial Death March is ‘More Than Just a Marathon;’ it’s a tribute to the sacrifices our American heroes had to endure and a tradition that needs to be carried on.”

You can also follow along with the team’s journey on Instagram, @popabataandeathmarch.