"It makes you realize how lucky we were," said Cadet Capt. Walter Spangler.

"We didn't even go through close to what they went through," said Cadet 1st Class Lt. Dustin Williams.

The cadets were able to train for more than two months for their march.

Starting in January, cadets completed their normal physical training two times a week and added two days at the gym and a long hike once a week. On those hikes, the cadets carried knapsacks with sandbags stored inside to build up their endurance.

When it came time for the hike, about 40 percent finished the event.

"It was just as hard mentally as it was physically," said Cadet 4th Class Mike Hoss.

Besides the hike, Capt. Kerri Barnes, unit admissions officer, said the cadets demonstrated team work.

"They formed this bond and friendship together along the way," Barnes said.

"We received a lot of support from the (detachment); they gave us a lot of support in coordinating," Juhl said. "We built all new friendships and we'll take a lot of that away with us."

The VSU Air Force ROTC cadets who participated in the Bataan Death March recreation include: Cadet Lt. Col. Kristopher Juhl, Cadet Lt. Col. James Newsom, Cadet Capt. Akeem Scrubb, Cadet Capt. Walter Spangler, Cadet Lt. Dustin Williams, Cadet 4th Class Matt Graham, Cadet 4th Class Robert Meeks, Cadet 4th Class Adam Ward and Cadet 4th Class Daniel Fischer.