Ten mobility airmen from the 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark., were among the 6,600 people to participate in the annual 26.2-mile Bataan Memorial Death March through the desert at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, earlier this month. One team of aerial porters carried light gear and camelbacks while the second team carried rucksacks weighing at least 35 pounds, according to a March 24 release. The light category team placed eighth out of 21 teams and the heavy ruck team finished in “just under nine hours,” states the release. In 1942, Tens of thousands of American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to march for days through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died and those who survived were sent to a prisoner of war camp.
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…