Shay Studley
Clemson’s ROTC teams compete in the 2025 Bataan Memorial Death March.
Two of Clemson’s ROTC programs, Air Force and Army, placed fifth and sixth out of 50 teams at the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on March 22.
The march is an annual event held to remember the American and Filipino soldiers who lost their lives and were “forced to march 65 miles to confinement camps throughout the Philippines” by their Japanese captors, according to the Bataan March website.
Six Clemson alumni endured these marches during World War II, including the late Honorary Brigadier General (Col.) Ben Skardon.
18 cadets from Clemson’s Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs participated in the 26.2-mile march.
Team captain cadets Erin Sweeney and Tyler Ballenger attended the march with a first-hand understanding of the physical rigors, altitude changes and course challenges, according to Kelly M. Casey, assistant professor of military leadership at Clemson.
They implemented a system for each team member to track their training through fitness apps, which began in January.
“My goal as an Army ROTC Instructor was to leave a lasting impact on my students before my reassignment in April. As my last event, I chose to complete the 2025 Bataan Memorial Death March alongside my students,” Casey told The Tiger in an interview.
She noted that it was a “bittersweet end” to her time at Clemson, but that it was the most “fitting and challenging endeavor” as she departed for Fort Harrison, Montana.
“That was the most meaningful experience I have ever been apart of, and I will remember it for the rest of my life,” Cadet Katherine Hoover, one of Casey’s students, wrote in a note to Casey.
Casey also mentioned that watching her students “first-hand transform as they completed this marathon with tears of joy and pain reflects the grit of a Clemson Tiger.”