‘Take time to remember them;’ WPAFB honors POW/MIA during 24-hour vigil run

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — Friday is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, but Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is starting a little early by remembering the thousands of service members unaccounted for.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

TRENDING STORIES:

• ‘Tallest, longest, fastest’ tilt roller coaster in North America coming to Ohio theme park
• Trump tells rally in New York ‘I’m gonna go there. I’m going to Springfield’
• Parts of Miami Valley see first extreme drought conditions in over a decade

It was an early morning for several airmen and women on Thursday as the base started its annual POW/MIA 24-hour Vigil Run.

For 24 hours, groups of airmen and women will run an hour at a time to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action.

“We never leave a soldier behind and, unfortunately, in times of war, sometimes we can’t. That’s unavoidable, right?” Col. Travis Pond said. “Some are lost, some are missing and so what we do here is we take time to remember those and solemnly remember their service, their sacrifice, and our inability to bring them home.”

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, the Department of Defense said there are more than 80,000 American service personnel missing from previous conflicts. Their names are read as groups run.

Running groups also carry a scroll, representing the 80,000 of their service brothers and sisters, and a torch to symbolize the light that will not stop shining in the search for those still missing.

“We’ve got to take time to remember them, think of them, and pray for their families,” Pond said.

With each step, the run itself isn’t on the runners’ minds, it’s all about the purpose.

“We’re running for a purpose,” MSGT. Matthew Rowe said. “Running to remember someone, to remember a lot of people.”

The run will end Friday with a closing ceremony.

[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]