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Tyndall honors lost heroes with 24-hour run

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Capling
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Airmen at Tyndall Air Force base continued a tradition to recognize prisoners of war and those missing in action with a 24-hour vigil run and retreat ceremony at Flag Park here Friday.

The run, a tradition started 18 years ago by the 81st Range Control Squadron here, consists of volunteers running the perimeter of the park with a red, white and blue baton continuously for 24 hours.

Retired Lt. Col. Donald Bazzel got the idea, from then Capt. Dan Williams, to have a 24-hour vigil run to keep the memory of all POWs and MIAs instilled in our hearts, said Lt. Col Barbara M. Omstead, 81st RCS commander.

Colonel Bazzel was an air-battle manager and the commander of the 81st RCS.

"In 1989 he and four others ran on the flight line for a full 24 hours," she said. "The five of them took turns running while the others rested and cheered each other on."

The run has since migrated to the base flag park.

This year's run was kicked off by Col. John Bird, 325th Fighter Wing vice commander, running his laps first.

Not even the threat of a possible tropical storm dampened the spirit.

"We had more than 300 runners this year to include 442 laps and 261.291 miles ran," said Senior Airman James Mitchell, the coordinator for this year's run and a mission director technician and instructor evaluator with the 81st RCS.

Time slots are divided into 15-minute segments and each one was run by an individual, a small group or an entire squadrons.

"The baton was constantly moving for the length of the entire run," said Airman Mitchell.

"To run 24 hours is a small price compared to what these men and women have sacrificed," Airman Mitchell said.

The run was concluded with a traditional military retreat ceremony at the park consisting of formations of senior NCOs, the First Term Airmen Center, Airmen Leadership School and local veterans.

The ceremony was started with a hand-off of the baton carried during the run from Colonel Omstead to local former POW Mr. John Anderson, who was the guest of honor at the ceremony.

Mr. Anderson was performing duties as a radar operator on a B-17 in World War II when his plane was shot down by enemy forces. Mr. Anderson and his crew parachuted and were captured by the Nazis exactly two months after D-Day and were held captive until the following April when he was liberated by British forces.

"We'd like to let POW/MIA know, they are not forgotten by recognizing their sacrifice every year," said Tech. Sgt. Leroy Ridgel, a professional military education instructor at the Airey NCO Academy here and coordinator of the ceremony.

"We don't do this because we have to; we do it because we want to," said Colonel Omstead. "So many people gave so much to keep this great nation free, and there aren't enough words to express our profound thanks... so we run."