More than 200 service members and civilians serving at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, participated in the installations 2nd Annual Remembrance 5K Run-Walk, Sept. 11, 2019. The event was held in honor of those who served in response to the attacks of 9/11 and lost their lives.
“Resiliency; that’s what the U.S showed along with our partner nations and also the civilians," said Command Sgt. Maj. Matakiah Fogle Jr., the Area Support Activity – Black Sea garrison sergeant major, during the opening remarks.
While most participants wore physical fitness uniforms or civilian attire during the run, two runners wore the heavy outer garments of firefighting equipment during the 5k course; U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Casee Williams, 1440th Engineer Detachment, 1436th Engineer Company, 507th Engineer Battalion, 63rd Troop Command, Michigan Army National Guard, and Candian Army Sgt. Jonathan Boudreau, a fire marshal with the Canadian Army.
"I did this because I really wanted to show support for our partners," said Boudreau, talking about his decision to run with his current American counterpart wearing the gear.
They weren't the only ones to push themselves during the run, though. 2nd Lt. Austin Peterson, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, completed the course with a time of 17:47. As a former cross-country runner, the 25-year-old was used to long runs with lots of runners but was still pleased with the number of people who showed up for the small installation. “It’s nice to know we all still remember,” he said after the run, “I was still in the first grade when [the attacks] happened and I know we’re getting to a point where most people are too young to remember it.”