Miller marches on

It was only two years ago that local Marine Corps veteran Paul Miller suffered a pair of strokes that have since hindered his ability to walk, talk and other skills.
But it doesn’t—and won’t—stop him.
Evidence of that came March 22 when Miller traveled to White Sands Missile Range, located 20 miles east of Las Cruces, N.M., and 45 miles north of El Paso, Texas, to participate in the Bataan Memorial Day March.
During World War II, on April 9, 1942, 75,000 United States soldiers and Filipino soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces after months of battling in extreme climate conditions. The U.S. soldiers were from the multiple branches of the U.S. military: Army, Army Air Corps, Navy, and Marines. Among those seized were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, New Mexico National Guard.
The soldiers were forced to become prisoners of war to the Japanese and faced horrifying conditions and treatment as POWs.
The soldiers were deprived of food, water, and medical attention, and were forced to march 65 miles to confinement camps throughout the Philippines.
The captive soldiers were marched for days, approximately 65 miles through the scorching jungles of the Philippines. This became known as the Bataan Death March. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of prisoner of war camps and the brutality of their Japanese captors. During the march, approximately 10,000 men died. Of these men, 1,000 were American and 9,000 were Filipino.
According to the memorial march’s site, 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.
Marchers come from across the United States and several foreign countries. While still primarily a military event, many civilians choose to participate in the challenging march. Participants get to choose between two courses: a 14.2-mile and a 26.2-mile course. Miller did the 14.2 mile course.
Miller began the march early the morning of March 22, and crossed the line around 2:30 p.m.—about a seven and a half hour trek through the terrain of the missile base.
“The last two miles were a killer,” Miller said with a laugh, adding balance can be difficult at times so he wore braces on both knees.
Miller, 78, was an avid walker prior to his strokes, and said he has 5,000 kilometers in walks under his belt. This particular march he took on solely for the purpose of proving to himself he could still do it. He was proud he could.
“I can do anything,” he said.
Miller’s sister transported him to New Mexico, where he stayed with another sister.
Prior to the march, a Congressional Gold Medal presentation honored Filipino Veterans of World War II, including survivors of the Bataan Death March.
Miller returned home from the march with plenty of souvenirs, as well as a strong desire to get some sleep. He admits, the 14.2 mile hike took it out of him.
“I was hurting,” he said with a laugh.