Hurlburt hosts 2nd Annual Run to Honor

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jeff Parkinson
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Air Force Special Operations Command Families Forever Program and the 1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron hosted the 2nd Annual Run to Honor 5k ruck, 5k and 10k run event May 18, here.

The Run to Honor is an event held to commemorate Air Commandos, who were lost in the line of duty, through participation in athletic and memorial events.

“The Run to Honor was a huge success,” said Staff Sgt. Veronica Lizama-Sanchez, commando fitness center NCO in-charge with the 1st SOFSS. “We had 60 participants, most of them ran in honor of someone they had lost.”

Honoring and remembering the fallen is important to show support for the familes they leave behind. For Kalie Walters, the program manager for the AFSOC Families Forever Program, an event like the Run to Honor does just that for the Hurlburt families.

“When I first started working here I noticed that there wasn’t really any type of Memorial Day event for Hurlburt Airmen or their families,” Walters said. “As a Gold Star daughter myself, it’s important to honor our fallen for what they did and make sure they are never forgotten.”

As we get closer to Memorial Day, the Run to Honor gives Team Hurlburt the opportunity to honor their fallen brothers and sisters or a family member they have lost while on active duty.

“Having a support system for familes is the foundation to coping with grief. AFSOC Familes Forever is such a system,” Walters said.

AFSOC Families Forever is the official AFSOC program designed to provide long-term support to our surviving families of fallen Air Commandos. Conceived of and developed by survivors, this program is continually refined based on survivor feedback and guidance of AFSOC senior leaders.

“We are here to provide dedicated outreach and support when, and for as long as the family member desires, regardless of the loved one's duty status, location, or manner of death,” Walters said. “Our mission is to keep the families connected through events, educate them on resources that are available to them, and have a connection with AFSOC where their loved one served.”