Team Yokota pays tribute during POW/MIA ceremony, ruck

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt, Stacey Moless
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Members of Yokota Air Base commemorated Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Day Sept. 20 with a reveille ceremony followed by a ruck march honoring the commitment and sacrifices made by service members and their families.

At a memorial outside of the 374th Airlift Wing headquarters building, Col. Mark August, 374th Airlift Wing commander, and Army 1st Class (ret) John Pierce, American Legion Post 2222 commander, led Airmen in honoring POW/MIAs.

Airmen recited the Code of Conduct before stepping off on a ruck march in honor of the annual observance. More than 40 people participated in the almost eight-mile ruck march around the installation.

"We are blessed with so much that we take for granted," said Senior Airman Madeline Salton, 374th Security Forces Squadron. "Today we took the time to remember those who are prisoners of war or are still missing in action, and the sacrifices they and their families have made for our country."

Members of Team Yokota, such as Senior Airman Reginald Pleasant, 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron, were motivated to make the long ruck march in honor of those who've made great sacrifices for their country, and continue to do so to this day.

"I am doing this for those who can't; I'm deeply motivated to be part of this," Pleasant said. "It means a lot to me to honor those who have come before us and paid heavily for defending their country."

Support for those who suffered and made sacrifices for America is vital to understanding what we as a nation have gone through according to Master Sgt. Theodore Fest, 374th Security Forces Squadron.

"Over 83,000 Americans are still missing from previous conflicts," Fest said. "As a military service member it is our duty to make the time to honor our fallen comrades in arms and remember what it was that they fought and sacrificed for all these years."

Observances of National POW/MIA Recognition Day are held across the country on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools and veterans' facilities, and it is traditionally observed on the third Friday in September each year.