At the time of the Japanese invasion of the Phillippines Islands (Dec 1941) the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, otherwise known as the Battling Bastards of Bataan, and the troops on Wake island were the first US ground forces to fight in WWII, and the only US forces engaged with the enemy at that time.
The first annual memorial death march was held at New Mexico State University started by Ray Pickering and was moved to White Sands Missile Range the very next year because of the rate of growth for the love of the event.