Standing atop the steep and unrelenting Zig Zag Pass outside Mariveles, Richard Slater was overcome at the thought of the some 78,000 sick and injured soldiers who were forced to climb it.

The pass lay at the beginning of what became known as the Bataan Death March, which began Apr. 9, 1942 during World War II. Filipino and American prisoners of war were forcibly transferred 80 miles on foot to San Fernando.

“Seeing what they had to go through was unbelievable,” Slater said. “I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal to me but it was. That any of them survived is amazing.”

A writer, historian and proud father of a daughter who serves in the U.S. Army, Slater said visiting the Philippines to view the military history was a life-long dream.

Slater, who lives just outside Coupeville, fulfilled that dream in January and said it was the experience of a lifetime.

“Many times, I would be moved to tears,” Slater said. “It’s one of those things where I saw everything I wanted to see and so many more things.”

While death tolls vary, it’s reported that roughly 11,000 men didn’t make it to their destination. The march went from Mariveles, Bataan, to San Fernando, Pampanga. From San Fernando, survivors were loaded to a box train and they were brought to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.

The march is known for its physical abuse and murder, and was later judged by an Allied military commission to be a Japanese war crime.

“My interest in the Philippines goes back to elementary school, I dreamed of going most of my life,” Slater said. As a result, he’s been a military historian his whole life. In the 1980s Slater began to write historical articles on the Philippines for a handful of magazines.

Through his research, Slater met former prisoners of war who impressed upon him a very important message.

“The only thing they were concerned about is their sacrifice not be forgotten,” Slater said. “My feeling in going there was not just to sightsee.”

“I wanted to feel some of what these men felt.”

Slater walked three miles of the 80-mile Bataan Death March, each mile marked by a monument as a reminder of what transpired more than 70 years ago. During his walk, Slater kept a special memento in his pocket.

Samuel Grashio, who survived the Bataan Death March and eventually escaped the prison camp with nine others, grew up in Slater’s home town of Spokane. The two became friends through the articles that Slater had written. Grashio died a few years and in honor of his friend, Slater thought it appropriate to carry a photo of his friend.

“I wanted to carry him with me,” Slater said.

In addition to experiencing the Bataan Death March, Slater also visited many key military areas including Camp O’Donnell and the expansive Bataan Memorial Wall. In his travels, Slater met locals and travelers who had their own stories to tell.

“I was privileged to meet all the people in person,” Slater said. “They all have stories you could not believe.”

Slater, a retired school teacher, always stressed with his students the importance of remembering the sacrifices of those who have served their country.

For him, the desire to honor their memories is a key motivation.

“The purpose of all this was that they will not be forgotten.”