In memory of the fallen: TACPs conduct 24-hour relay

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Barnett
JBER Public Affairs

4/8/2014 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Members of the 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron's Tactical Air Control Party participated in the annual memorial 24-hour Challenge Run from March 27 and 28 at the Alaska Dome in Anchorage.

The run, sponsored by the TACP Association, is a memorial to those who have died while serving, he said.

It started with the squadron doing a lap on the dome's track.

"After that, I did the first solo around the track," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason
Sandoval, JTAC personnel parachute program manager. "The way we're counting the miles is you can run together, or by yourself, or in pairs; you can run in sprints; how you do it is up to you. We have a guy who just enjoys running, who runs for an hour just because."
TACP personnel took turns running for 15 minutes most of the time, said Senior Airman Sergio Barcena-Turner, a 3rd ASOS joint terminal attack controller.

In the past, the squadron had an individual who chose to run 24 hours straight, putting in anywhere from 50 to 80 miles.

"Most of the guys are only going to run for 15 minutes out of the 24 hours, but there are some who will do the extra," Sandoval said. "We used to have someone who would run up to 100 miles in the 24 hours."

The 24-hour memorial run is an ASOS tradition across the Air Force, he said. They treat it as a competition.

"We compete against each other to see who can get the most miles," he said. "Some people will donate money based on how many miles we run. It depends; each unit celebrates it their own way."

The event raises funds through various pledges.

The money goes to unit morale and helping the families, Barena-Turner said.
"It's a traditional thing," he said. "The money goes back to anybody who has a hardship, back to their families per the TACP Association. It's good for the association and it brings in a little extra money."

The meaning behind the memorial run is deep, Sandoval said.

"A lot of people can't really understand some of the stuff that we do," Sandoval said. "The majority of the Air Force doesn't really understand what we do. I'm doing it because I know what it's like be on the ground, I know what it's like to have bullets whizzing by your head all the time, I know what it's like to watch my buddy get shot in the face.

"That's why I do it; it's really hard to explain that feeling to someone who's never really been there, who doesn't understand.

"To me, I can make this public, or it can be something that we do internally.

Only the brothers who have been there can really understand and appreciate what we're doing and why we're doing it."