Those missing in action also remembered
Members of Fairchild march through Airway Heights during a 24-hour ruck march in observance of POW/MIA Recognition Day.
The march started at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Spokane.
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Members of Fairchild Air Force Base participated in the observance of National Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action Recognition Day Sept. 14 by organizing and completing a 24-hour ruck march.
The ruck march started at 8:45 a.m., Sept. 14, members of the 336th Training Group gathered at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in downtown Spokane with Airmen carrying flags along a pre-determined route toward the base.
From there, the march went to the front gate of the base and a series of airmen kept the POW/MIA flag in motion through the night. The march ended with the flag being placed in a holder on base.
Every year, the United States recognizes the third Friday of the month of September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
First established in 1979, the day of recognition exists to honor all former American prisoners of war and all those Americans still missing in action who have made the special sacrifice of being captive in war or who remain unresolved casualties of war.
U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew May, 336th Training Group Commander, gave a speech to Survive, Evade, Resistance, and Escape candidates before the start of the march.
May spoke of a World War II mission that his great uncle was part of. The mission was heading through an artillery barrage into Tokyo, Japan. He said the plane was sent to drop bombs, but the mission didn't quite go as planned.
"Shortly after dropping their bombs the plane was hit by flak and the wings started to burn," May said. "One gunner, Sgt. Harry Slater made it out alive as he was thrown from the aircraft while it tumbled from the sky."
"He spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp while everyone else was classified as missing in action," he added.
May's speech was to remind the gathered airmen of the sacrifices previous soldiers made.
At 12 p.m. the first group handed the flags off to a second group at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3386 in Airway Heights.
MSgt. Molchak, President of Chapter 1462 for the Air Force Sergeant's Association, helped organize the march with help from the organization.
Although this is an annual event, this is the first time the march was started off base according to Molchak.
According to Molchak, who has been in the service for 20 years, the chapter he works with is local to Fairchild Air Force Base, so all engagement is on the local level.
He said on the larger scale, the association works to help continue allocating funding from government sources. Molchak said at times the government will try cutting those funds.
"At times Congress will try to balance the budget on the backs of the Department of Defense," Molchak said. "So, they'll cut defense spending or cut veteran's benefits."
"The Air Force Sergeant's Association is one of the main groups that lobbies in Congress to hold Congress accountable, and keep those benefits in place," he added.
According to Molchak, the association helps members in all branches of service, not only the Air Force.
MSgt Jessica Yates is the Appointed Chair for anything veteran related for the local chapter, and helped partner with the Survive, Evade, Resistance, and Escape group to make this event larger than it had previously been.
Yates said she would like to see the event expand more.
"This is going to be a bigger event every year," Yates said. "Hopefully we can get some more engagement off the base, that would be great."
"Maybe if we could get some more engagement that would be great, but the turnout this year from the local populace has been nothing but loving and affectionate," she added.
The following airmen participated in the march.
A1C Johnson, Scott A
A1C Apostolos, Keith A
A1C Charvat, Jacob S
A1C Mordell, William A
A1C Stiles, Jonathan M
A1C Walker, Timothy E
AB Powell, Mathew Q
A1C Zeidler, Gunner J
SSGT Overstreet,Tyler C
AB Austin, Joseph M
A1C Kaiser, Branson S
A1C Rhodus, Bruce M
A1C Pak, Daniel J
SrA Bolick, Hunter S
SSgt Xenos, Noah C
A1C Evankovich, Eli G
A1C Gutierrez, Steven P
AB Dlugolenski, Luke
A1C Miller, Jordan N
A1C Meyer, Micheal J
TSgt Flanagan, Ronald K
A1C Riddle, Kyle A
A1C Gill, Josiah D
SSgt Howell, Liam F
A1C Tanaka, Jared D
A1C Obico, Tyler A
A1C Asbury, Sianna R
AB Mandel, Raymond J
AB Cheney, Micheal R JR
A1C Ferguson, Spenser S
AB Lopez, Liam K
AMN Summerlin, Robert E III
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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