THURSDAY,APRIL4,2002
NEWS
MARCH
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN * 3A
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depending on the point of capture.
Those who could not keep up were shot or stabbed.
Only one out of every three Americans that started the Bataan Death March to the prison camp at Camp O' Donnell came out of the camp alive.
Five University of Kansas Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets will honor the memory of those soldiers by participating in the Bataan Memorial Death March through the deserts of New Mexico.
"We go in there as the KU Army ROTC Jayhawks, and we go there very proud of being Jayhawks."
It is held in New Mexico because the New Mexico National Guardsmen formed a large number of the soldiers captured at Bataan.
Ankur Rughani
Topeka freshman
Robert Chamberlain. Topeka senior and Kansan columnist, is one of the cadets that will represent the University.
KU students joining Chamberlain will be Preston Robinson, New Castle, Va., senior, Ankur Rughani, Topeka freshman, Christopher Thompson, Ellsworth senior, and Richard Shilling, Leavenworth freshman.
"I don't think it's something that you or I could really sit here and imagine," he said. "A wholly unique experience that is in many ways indescribable."
They will all travel on April 14 to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to compete in the memorial march.
He said that the march through more than 26 miles of diverse and difficult arid terrain would help to give him just a rough of idea of what surviving through Bataan was like.
Participants' goals in the event range from finishing the march to winning awards for the best times.
This is the second consecutive year that KU cadets have participated in the memorial march, which was started by the Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University in 1989 with a group of about 100. Since then, the event has grown to include more than 3,000 participants.
People have the option to enter as individuals, but Chamberlain said that working in a team made it easier to complete the course.
While the participants are primarily military teams, there are divisions for civilians to go through the march as well.
Last year, 64 cadet teams started the race. The University of Kansas cadets were one of only 10 ROTC teams that completed the course.
Rughani said they hoped to represent the University well in this event that attracts participants from around the United States and 17 countries.
"We go in there as the KU Army ROTC Jayhawks, and we go there very proud of being Jayhawks," he said. "We always have been."
Thompson, who participated in the march last year, said they were more experienced this year than last because they had more training time — about four months instead of about four weeks.
Robinson, the team leader, said that he had prepared the others with both short and long walks around Lawrence.
He said that weight training was important as well, since everyone had to carry at least 35 pounds in their military pack.
Thompson said last year's lack of training made the course difficult.
"In a word — Ouch," he said. "I had several pretty severe blisters on my feet."
Rughani agreed that keeping their feet in good condition would be important.
"If your feet are trying to give up, then you may just as well quit," he said. "It's like tires on a car, you need them to be well."
But Robinson said that the course challenges the mind as well as the body.
"It's an exercise in physical and mental toughness," he said. "And getting people — people including myself — to revert back from the ideal lifestyle, the laid back lifestyle, that we live is I guess a little bit of a challenge."
Thompson said that he was able to meet veterans of the actual Bataan Death March when he attended last year and that he respected them for their sacrifice to the United States.
Thompson said their own march was insignificant by comparison.
Of the approximately 10,000 American soldiers that began the Death March, 600 to 650 died on the way and 1,500 died in the first 40 days at the prison camp.
"Don't think that we're all that tough," he said, "Because I think that those old fellas out there can bring new meaning to the word. They lived through unimaginable stress and were strong enough to come out on the other side."
Contact Pracht at apracht@kansan.com. This story was edited by Justin Guenley.
Contact Pracht at
SLUDGE
Bryce would not identify, left work and filled out an accident report.
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Bryce said he became concerned it would get into a nearby water source
"Basically I read that the river was named the dirtiest river in the United States," he said of the Kaw River. "It seemed to me that we weren't doing our part to keep it clean. It is inappropriate to dump it near a water drainage system and into the Kaw."
Doug Riat, director of Facilities Operations, said the sludge was not dumped outside, but that an employee might have tracked some outside.
"Somebody walked across and probably had oil on the bottom of their shoes," he said.
Riat said the material was not toxic and most likely came from a faulty oil separator. The sludge was cleaned up this week, put in oil drums and taken away by the Department of Environment, Health and Safety.
"From time to time we run waste material oil from elevators through the oil separator." Riat said. "It separates the oil and the water and they pump it out and dispose of it. If it doesn't separate, the drums of oil and water have to be cleaned out."
Riat said he was aware of some complaints about exhaust fumes in the garage, but not of complaints specifically about fumes from the drain. He said an inspector from the Department of Environment, Health and Safety checked the exhaust fans and found they met all safety standards.
Bryce said complaints he made were never answered and that a memo went out to garage employees blaming them for the drainage and fume problems.
"This hasn't just developed," Bryce said of the fumes and sludge. "It's been going on for quite some time and they are aware of that."
The Kansan contacted Lynn Bretz, director of KU Relations about the sludge. Bretz said she was unaware of the situation.
Contact Beatty at beatty@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Molly Gise.
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