Vet News: WWII POW Receives Purple Heart at Bataan Memorial Death March

NEW MEXICO, March 28, 2006 -- Almost 62 miles and 64 years later, Clifford “Smokey” Martinez received the Purple Heart March 26 at the 2006 Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range for wounds he received as a prisoner of war during World War II.

WSMR Director Thomas R. Berard presented Smokey with the Purple Heart before close to 3,900 participants and thousands of spectators in a closing ceremony.

“This award is 64 years overdue, but how appropriate to be able to present it on this magnificent occasion,” Berard said.

Smokey, a Bataan Death March survivor, said it took a long time to get the award.

“I can’t explain the feelings that I have right now way down deep in my heart,” he said.

Following the presentation, Smokey’s children and grandchildren, some of whom he was meeting for the first time, surrounded him with hugs and kisses.

“I’ve got grandkids who I’ve never seen before come see me here today,” Smokey said as tears rolled from his eyes.

Surviving the Death March

A cowboy and rodeo hand in Pervin Texas, Smokey enlisted in the Army in September 1940 and was assigned to Battery A, 59th CA Command, Corregidor, and Philippine Islands.

He was an artillery observer on Bataan and was surrendered on April 9, 1942. After more than a day on the Death March, Smokey escaped to Corregidor. He was re-captured in May 1942 and transported to Japan on a Hell Ship.

Smokey was liberated at Mitsuchima on Sept. 2, 1945. He mustered out during the summer of 1946 and after college, worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker until retirement.

WSMR Garrison Commander Col. Don Gentry said it was a pleasure to present Smokey with the Purple Heart.

“It was important that we present it to him before his peers,” Gentry said.

The Purple Heart is a combat decoration awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are wounded during war by the enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action.

Prisoners of War

On April 9, 1942, about 75,000 Filipino and U.S. Soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard.

The prisoners were forced to march about 100 kilometers north in the scorching heat of the Philippine jungles to Camp O'Donnell, a prison camp. During the journey, prisoners were beaten randomly and denied food and water for several days. Those who fell behind were executed, and thousands died.

Survivors faced the hardships of living in the POW camp. Others were wounded or killed when U.S. air and naval forces sank unmarked enemy ships transporting prisoners of war to Japan.

The Bataan Memorial Death March honors this special group of heroes.

History of the March

The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the memorial March in 1989 to mark a page in history that included so 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 missile range.

Since its inception, the memorial march has grown from about 100 to some 4,000 marchers from across the U.S. and several foreign countries. While still primarily a military event, many civilians choose to take the challenge.

The 26.2-mile memorial march route starts on the White Sands main post, crosses dusty and hilly desert terrain, circles a small mountain, and returns to the main post through sandy desert trails and washes. The elevation ranges from about 4,100 to 5,300 feet. A new 15-mile honorary route was added this year.

SOURCE: VNIS - American Forces Press Service