RIO HONDO — The high school Air Force JROTC led a march around school campus grounds recently to remember World War II’s infamous Bataan Death March.
During World War II, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps.
The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards.
The high school AFJROTC acknowledges significant battles and military anniversaries to go along with their military preparation and training at school.
The Bataan Memorial March marked the 76th anniversary of the April 9, 1942, Bataan Death March and honored the 10,000 American and Filipino prisoners who died.
Dr. Elaine Dispo, a Filipino faculty member at RHISD, had relatives who were involved in the Bataan Death March.
Dispo family members were among the 10,000 who died.
Her father, USAF Ret. MSgt. Jun Dispo, participated in the school March.
Her mother, Estrella Dispo, also joined in the march.
Col. Clifford Moriarty, who oversees the JROTC program, invited the Dispos to participate in the school event after learning about Dispo’s connection to the Battle of Bataan.
Her uncle, Gaspar Dispo, was never found, dead or alive.
Jun’s father, Roque Dispo, and another uncle, Epifanio Dispo, were survivors of the March. All of them served in the U.S. Army.
