Thunderbird cadets to join Bataan Memorial Death March

Tuesday, March 21st 2006, 2:39 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Ten cadets at Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor will join thousands of others in the Bataan Memoriual Death March in White Sands, New Mexico, later this month.

The march is in memory of the Bataan Death March during World War II in which Japanese soldiers forced about 75,000 Americans and Filipino prisoners of war to walk 65 miles. Thousands died during the march through jungles and extreme heat.

During the memorial the cadets will march more than 26 miles in uniform across the White Sands Missile Range.

The Thunderbird Youth Acadamy is a voluntary 22-week program for 16- to 18-year old high school dropouts. It provides a military-based training and work program for the students.