bobdina
10-12-2009, 03:17 PM
PJs, combat controllers walking 824 miles to pay tribute to war dead
By Michelle Tan
mtan@militarytimes.com
Talk about a long walk.
A dozen pararescuemen and combat controllers, dressed in matching T-shirts and carrying 50-pound rucks on their backs, are traveling 824 miles in 11 days on foot to honor their fallen brothers.
They set out Oct. 6 from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and expected to reach their destination, Hurlburt Field, Fla., on Oct. 17.
The airmen are walking in teams of two. All walked the first five miles together and will walk the last five together as well, said Master Sgt. Kenneth Huhman, one of the walk’s organizers and the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Combat Control Selection Course at Lackland.
For the other 814 miles, he said, each team will walk 15- to 20-mile legs.
The walk is named the Tim Davis Special Tactics Memorial March in memory of Staff Sgt. Tim Davis, a combat controller killed Feb. 20 in Afghanistan and a friend of Huhman’s.
“We came up with the idea of walking from here at Lackland, the first school that combat controllers participate in, and walking to Hurlburt Field, which is the last school in our pipeline, the culmination of our training,” Huhman said.
As the planning progressed, organizers decided to honor all 12 combat controllers and PJs killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each participant is carrying a baton engraved with the name of a fallen comrade, Huhman said.
The airmen hope to raise awareness about what they do as well as the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides scholarships and counseling to children of special operations personnel killed or severely wounded in operational or training missions.
When the airmen arrive at Hurlburt, they will participate in a ceremony to honor the fallen, and the batons will be displayed in the Hall of Heroes in the primary schoolhouse there, Huhman said.
Also, the end of the walk is timed to coincide with the Combat Control Association reunion, bringing together former combat controllers.
“We’re spending the next 10 days to honor and show respect for the guys we’ve lost,” Huhman said. “My hopes and desires are maybe everyone will take a little time to honor and respect all those who have made that sacrifice for the freedoms we have today.”
By Michelle Tan
mtan@militarytimes.com
Talk about a long walk.
A dozen pararescuemen and combat controllers, dressed in matching T-shirts and carrying 50-pound rucks on their backs, are traveling 824 miles in 11 days on foot to honor their fallen brothers.
They set out Oct. 6 from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and expected to reach their destination, Hurlburt Field, Fla., on Oct. 17.
The airmen are walking in teams of two. All walked the first five miles together and will walk the last five together as well, said Master Sgt. Kenneth Huhman, one of the walk’s organizers and the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Combat Control Selection Course at Lackland.
For the other 814 miles, he said, each team will walk 15- to 20-mile legs.
The walk is named the Tim Davis Special Tactics Memorial March in memory of Staff Sgt. Tim Davis, a combat controller killed Feb. 20 in Afghanistan and a friend of Huhman’s.
“We came up with the idea of walking from here at Lackland, the first school that combat controllers participate in, and walking to Hurlburt Field, which is the last school in our pipeline, the culmination of our training,” Huhman said.
As the planning progressed, organizers decided to honor all 12 combat controllers and PJs killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each participant is carrying a baton engraved with the name of a fallen comrade, Huhman said.
The airmen hope to raise awareness about what they do as well as the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides scholarships and counseling to children of special operations personnel killed or severely wounded in operational or training missions.
When the airmen arrive at Hurlburt, they will participate in a ceremony to honor the fallen, and the batons will be displayed in the Hall of Heroes in the primary schoolhouse there, Huhman said.
Also, the end of the walk is timed to coincide with the Combat Control Association reunion, bringing together former combat controllers.
“We’re spending the next 10 days to honor and show respect for the guys we’ve lost,” Huhman said. “My hopes and desires are maybe everyone will take a little time to honor and respect all those who have made that sacrifice for the freedoms we have today.”