J. Ronald Hudnell ’69 has a special interest in WWII Rangers as his father was an enlisted man in D Company, 2nd Ranger Battalion during WWII. He is equally interested in the West Point graduates who served in the six authorized Ranger Battalions of World War II, and notes that there were seven West Point grads who did so - Colby, ’40; Darby, ’33; Dobson, ’39; Garrett, ’41; Greene, Jan ’43; Mucci, ’36; and Raaen, Jan ’43. Hudnell took the opportunity in 2015 to participate in 70th anniversary events that honored the memory of two of those West Point WWII Rangers.
The Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2 mile marathon-length hike, has been held annually at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, for the past 26 years to honor and remember those soldiers who participated in the Bataan Death March. Military unit teams from around the world as well as civilians participate in this competitive event. COL Henry “Hank” A. Mucci, ’36 was not in the Bataan Death March, but he along with members of his 6th Ranger Battalion did successfully infiltrate behind Japanese enemy lines on January 30, 1945, to rescue 500+ American and Allied soldiers and civilians who were being held at the Cabanatuan POW camp, and return them back through enemy lines to the American forces. Many of those prisoners had survived the Bataan Death March. It is still the single most successful POW rescue in American military history. Hudnell ran and walked that 26.2 mile event on March 22, 2015, to honor COL Mucci and the soldiers from his 6th Ranger Battalion. The event was even more poignant since there were some Bataan Death March survivors at the event who had been at the Cabanatuan POW camp. Hudnell encourages grads interested in participating at this event to register in November for the 27th BMDM to be held March 20, 2016.
The COL Darby Ranger Challenge Hike is held at Lake Garda, Italy on April 30th of each year. COL William “Bill” O. Darby, ‘33 the first Battalion Commander of WWII Rangers, was mortally wounded on April 30, 1945, at Torbole on the north end of the lake. The 40-mile hike begins at Peschiera del Garda and goes north along the lake to a small chapel at Torbole near where COL Darby was wounded. Participants in the event emotionally finish their 40-mile hikes by touching the Darby Memorial in the church courtyard at Torbole. Only 65 participants – mostly from the 173rd Airborne Brigade stationed at Vicenza and Air Force soldiers stationed at Aviano - were involved in this year’s event. Hudnell completed the hike in just under nine hours and is encouraging younger West Point graduates - especially those who are Ranger-qualified and based in Europe - to participate in the event next year and try to beat his time. Information and details on this event can be obtained by contacting him at ronhudnell@gmail.com or by visiting the Facebook group.
If running and hiking long distances are not appealing, then another COL Darby memorial project is nearing completion in Fort Smith, Arkansas – the boyhood home of COL Darby. The Darby Legacy Project is in the final months of its fundraising campaign for a memorial statue of COL Darby in local Cisterna Park. It would be timely and appropriate if the final goal is reached during 2015, the 70th anniversary of COL Darby’s death. West Point Rangers of all eras along with West Point Societies in Arkansas/Oklahoma can make contributions by visiting the web site so the memorial statue can be installed early in 2016. Rangers Lead The Way!