1196 miles: Running to honor the fallen

  • Published
  • By Dave Smith, 21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Under sunny skies with a stout wind out of the southeast, a dozen runners bolted at high noon, beginning a test of endurance and respect that would continue until noon the next day.

From noon March 30 to noon March 31, 2017, Airmen of the 13th Air Support Operations Squadron, Fort Carson, Colorado, ran around the Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, athletic track honoring fallen comrades in the sixth annual 24-Hour Challenge run.

The entire squadron, consisting of about 100 Airmen participated, said Senior Airman Ari Edelman, 13th ASOS radio operator, maintainer and driver. Other interested runners, such as spouses and children, participated as well. When it was all said and done, clouds and rain moved in while the group finished the last of the 1,196 miles, in formation.

“The goal is to keep someone running on the track the whole time,” Edelman said. “We have a (unit) flag we keep moving the entire 24-hours.”

All of their fallen Tactical Air Control Party brethren are honored, but the 13th ASOS’s interest is personal as well. A key inspiration is Maj. David Gray, 13th ASOS air liaison officer, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in August of 2013.

“There are several people in our squadron who were also part of (Gray’s) deployment,” Edelman said. “He was known for his emphasis on finishing strong.”

In a tent alongside the track there were portrait photos of other fallen comrades, in addition to Gray, all of whom the squadron honored by taking to the track. For the final mile, the portraits were carried along by the squadron members. The list of those whose contributions are not forgotten are:

• Airman 1st Class Ray Cosano, Afghanistan, 2003
• Staff Sgt. Jacob Frazier, Afghanistan, 2003
• Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Class Dennis Hay, Iraq, 2005
• Staff Sgt. Brian Daly, Arizona (training), 1996
• Maj. Gregory Stone, Kuwait, 2003
• Master Sgt. Steven Auchman, Iraq, 2004
• Master Sgt. Joshua Gavulic, Arizona (training), 2014
• Staff Sgt. Andre Berkley, South Korea (training), 1989
• Senior Airman Bradley Smith, Afghanistan, 2010
• Staff Sgt. Jason Faley, Kuwait, 2001
• Tech. Sgt. Timothy Officer, Florida (training), 2015

This is Edelman’s fourth challenge. He ran one while deployed in Kuwait and the others here in Colorado Springs. Participants can run at their own pace, but members of the squadron, while showing off their military spirit, competed to see which flights ran farthest and raised the most money.

The run also served as a fundraiser for the TACP Association, a group that assists members of the TACP community and their families.

 

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