Boy Scout Troupe retracing the Bataan Death March in 1969
When we arrived at Clark in August, 1967, I had no idea what life had in store for me. I was 13 and mom and dad decided that joining a Boy Scout Troop would be a good way to acclimate to Subic life
In September after school started I joined Troop 360. We met every week at Binictican Elementary School and the fun began almost immediately.
We were planning a three day campout at Baguio and were slated to go there in November. Being that I knew nothing of what Baguio had to offer I assumed that we would be jungle camping so needless to say I was surprised when we began the narrow, windy climb in a Special Services bus making our way to cooler weather and pine trees. As it was, we were not alone. We have several Philippine Boy Scout troops that were going to be camping with us. We had a great time exchanging Boy Scout pins, neckties, etc and we all cooked and ate each other meals, which we all know, can be questionable from the Filipino perspective. We never really never knew really what we might be eating.
For the next few years I was very involved clearing an area for a campsite between Subic/Cubi, close to JEST training center. Scouting afforded opportunities like going through the JEST training, taking patrol boat cruises to Corregidor and retracing the Bataan Death March in 1968 and 1969.Those hot dusty towns like Guagua,San Fernando down along Manila by past Mt Mariveles to the tip of the Bataan peninsula. It was eerie walking past the kilometer signs depicting soldiers helping each other and knowing we were walking on the same roads they did 25 years earlier. We camped out every night a places that included a church and under a bridge. Nightly we would have Filipino visitors that would just stand around and watch us. We would share our C rations and leave the empty cans and left over food in a pile intending to take it with us but by morning the locals had taken all of what was left. The hike was 5 days long and about 70 miles so by the end if you did not have a good set of boots that were broken in beforehand you had some pretty sore feet.
Summer camp was always held at scout area near San Miguel and like the Bataan Death March experience we were joined by the Scout Troop from Clark. I recall we walked the 2 miles from the camp to the base carrying empty water jugs, after which we filled and walked back to camp. Needless to say the walk back took longer than the trip there. As hot as it was the Subic troop was happy because we beat all the Clark scouts back to camp. Camp was great time to work on my merit badges and I would earn 4 or 5 at camp, everything from Swimming, Life Saving to Rowing and Camping. Camp fires at night, exploring the lake and the jungle, checking out the trading post and just getting to know your fellow campers were a great time for a 14 and 15 year old.
Alas, by the end of 1969 my boyhood was waning and interest in scouting girls became more important. I learned a lot about myself and took away many valuable experiences from scouting that I think about even today. To have had the experience outside the United Sates at a young age make big impression on my world view. This was another small sliver of the many shared experiences we had living in Subic Bay.
