Walter Reed Bethesda Hosts History Fun Run Aboard NSAB

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class William Phillips | Service members from Walter Reed Bethesda and Naval Support Activity (NSAB) participated in the first Historic Fun Run around NSAB Oct. 14. The formation made stops around NSAB to read historic events that have happened throughout the Navy's 241 years of history. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class William Phillips/Released)  

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES

10.20.2016

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class William Phillips 

Naval Support Activity Bethesda

Approximately 100 service members from Walter Reed Bethesda and Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB) participated in the first Historic Fun Run aboard NSAB Oct. 14.

“I’ve done these before in Hawaii and I had never seen anything like it here,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Krucke.

The run was a way to honor U.S. Navy’s 241st birthday, and included stops along the way to learn about important events in Navy history.

“We were already doing a run for the Navy birthday,” said Krucke. “So I figured it would be good to include the history of this base and of the Navy.”

The event was also a way for senior officers and enlisted to interact with junior service members outside of the work place.

“It was good seeing the junior members and the senior members out here together doing this at the same time,” said Krucke.

Volunteers were able to sing cadence and read the historic events, said Krucke.

For some, the run and the birthday were important because it’s a reminder of the naval legacy left for them.

“It is important to remind everyone where we came from and remind ourselves of the legacy that was left behind for us,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Petro Martone, a senior enlisted advisor at Walter Reed Bethesda. “We have to carry on those honors and tradition; it is an opportunity for us to take a sense of [pride] throughout our daily life.”

“The Navy’s birthday means a lot to me, this organization is all about the sacrifice the people before us have made that paved the way to where we are right now and what we have been able to accomplish within the 241 years of the Navy,” said Martone.

Runners learned about: the birth of the Navy, the U.S.S. Constitution, the War of 1812, the Commerce Raiders of the Civil War, the convoys of World War I, the major fleet actions at Coral Sea and Midway, the Blockade of Cuba in 1962, and the riverine operations on the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.

“This was fun putting together; I am very happy with the turn out,” said Krucke. “I think the blend of new and veteran Sailors was good and encompasses the whole purpose of this in telling the history of the Navy…it is important to remember where you came from, because knowing the success of the Navy, we can build on it and have success in the future of the Navy.”

• Date Taken: 10.20.2016
• Date Posted: 10.21.2016 08:57
• Story ID: 212552
• Location: BETHESDA, MD, US