Local trio raising money for Honor Flight of the Ozarks veterans
Three lifelong friends from the Ozarks are lacing up their boots once again for a grueling challenge, this time with a mission to support local veterans.
Jonathan Dawson, David Pyle and Steve Taylor, with the help from Zimmer Marketing, are set to participate in the 36th annual Bataan Memorial Death March on March 22, 2025, at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Their goal? To raise funds and awareness for Honor Flight of the Ozarks, a nonprofit that organizes trips for veterans to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C.
The Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2-mile trek through rugged desert terrain, commemorates the harrowing 65-mile forced march endured by American and Filipino prisoners of war in the Philippines during World War II in 1942. Last year, the trio completed the march, but they’re returning in 2025 with a greater purpose.
“Well, the Honor Flight, I think, is the most humbling experience I’ve ever been on as a guardian,” Taylor said. “I’ve been twice. And, you know, the veterans get to go out and see all the memorials that our country has built for them in their honor. And one day they fly out and they block a four-lane highway in Washington, D.C. and I think eight or nine motorcycle police block the traffic. They’re actually the ones they use for the President. It’s just something to see a four-lane highway in Washington, D.C. with no traffic on it, with a whole bunch of veterans going to see their memorials.”
Honor Flight of the Ozarks holds a special place in the hearts of Dawson and Taylor, who had served as guardians on previous Honor Flights, assisted veterans during their journeys.
The trio has already raised an impressive $35,000 through a GoFundMe page, with donations still pouring in. Community members can contribute by sponsoring a mile marker along the march route or purchasing service-branch ribbons to honor individual veterans. These ribbons will be proudly worn on the team’s packs during the event.
“I think it’s important to note also that every cent that is donated will go to Honor Flight,” Pyle said. “We are personally covering all the travel expenses, registration expenses, our meals, the marketing, everything associated with that. We’re paying for ourselves because we want Honor Flight and the veterans to have the flight benefit of the contributions that are made in their honor.”
Training is well underway for the three friends, who are no strangers to the march’s demands—blistering heat, sandy trails, and sheer exhaustion.
The original Bataan Death March followed the surrender of 75,000 U.S. and Filipino troops to Japanese forces, a brutal ordeal marked by starvation, disease and violence.
“It’s actually one of the sadder moments of history because when they were captured, they were kind of just left,” Taylor said. “And that’s the reason you’ll hear the word or they term it the ‘Battling Bastards of Bataan.’”
Local support for the trio’s efforts has been overwhelming.
As the march date approaches, Dawson, Pyle and Taylor are calling on Ozarks residents to join their cause.
For more information or to donate, visit the team’s GoFundMe page or contact Honor Flight of the Ozarks directly. You can also visit the Flight For Bataan Facebook page. The trio will carry the spirit of the Ozarks—and the gratitude of a nation—with them every step of the way on March 22.