TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Tyndall hosted its 28th annual 24-hour vigil run Sept. 15 - 16 at Flag Park to commemorate prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Each year, Airmen from the 81st Range Control Squadron sponsor the 24-hour vigil run and organize the event by setting up a shade tent, water station and track route for participants.
The 81st RCS commander, Lt. Col. Adam Bright, opened the event with a speech.
“I want to thank all of the veteran groups and volunteers for being able to attend one of the longest running annual events here on Tyndall,” Bright said. “Twenty-eight years ago, long before I took command, the commander at the time, Lt. Col. Donald Bazzel, came together with a group of people to honor service members who came before them. What started off as them running the Tyndall flight line for 24-hours later turned into a run circling Flag Park.”
Airmen from 27 squadrons volunteered for the run.
In addition to the run, the Horizons Community Center hosted a luncheon to honor prisoners of war and service members missing in action. In attendance were veterans from different service branches dating back to the Vietnam War. These service members spoke to the audience about their past active duty experiences and the challenges they faced.
“I learned at an early age that being an American is the greatest honor in the world anyone could ever have,” said retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. John Milam. “I’m also a proud hillbilly from West Virginia and I’m an even more proud American. My heroes before me were my cousins and uncles because they all either enlisted or were drafted into the service when their country needed them during World War II.”
Milam enlisted in the Air Force as an aerial gunner on May 10, 1952. He was sent to Sampson AFB, New York, for Basic Military Training. After graduating BMT, he was then transferred to Lowry AFB, Colorado where he was educated on aircraft weapons and weapons systems on fighters and bombers.
Upon obtaining all necessary qualifications for his job as an aerial gunner, he was sent to Vietnam and Cambodia, where he completed more than 75 missions.
“I did not do all of this to become a hero or any such thing, I just figured that paying taxes just wasn’t enough,” Milan said. “I didn’t feel good with someone doing all the hard dirty work; this country is one of the greatest countries on earth and I wanted to keep it that way.”
The luncheon was used to familiarize attendees of the sacrifices of POWs and those missing in action.
“The event as a whole was a huge success,” said Senior Airman Danetra Williams, 81st RCS interface control technician. “Despite the sudden rainstorm we got that prevented the closing ceremony from happening, members from our organization mustered the determination to continue the run for the remainder of the event. So even with the cancellation, I believe we were still able to give people near and a far a great sense of admiration for those who served before them.”