The first event, the Remembrance Walk, will be held at the Area B track behind the Air Force Institute of Technology from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants will walk/ruck the track in 30-minute intervals in teams of five to 10, carrying a flag, two rifles and two fire hoses.
Sanitary measures will be taken to clean equipment before handoff between teams. Participants are also free to bring their own ruck equipment for the event. Walkers can wear ABUs, OCPs and military and civilian physical training gear.
All WPAFB military and civilian personal are welcome and encouraged to participate in this event. Col. Pat Miller, 88th Air Base Wing commander, has made the event an alternate place of duty for those who want to participate. Civilians and military assigned to the 88th ABW are authorized to attend as part of their normal duty day with no charge to leave if approved by their supervisor and mission requirements permitting.
Please make sure appropriate signage is posted, if necessary, for office closures and emergency contact. For contractor employees, the government cannot authorize alternate duty locations. Contractor employees must adhere to their respective contract requirements.
To register for the walk, go to https://usaf.dps.mil/teams/88319/remembranceclassic/SitePages/Home.aspx. If individuals are unable to sign up for the event, they should contact the point of contact, Senior Airman Mark DeBats at mark.debats@us.af.mil.
At the conclusion of the run, there will be three guest speakers who will give their perspectives on how the world and their experiences have been shaped by the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, followed by a question-and-answer discussion panel.
Guest speakers WPAFB Fire Chief Jacob King, Assistant Dayton Fire Chief Thomas Rice and Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Director Brig. Gen. Brian Bruckbauer will be live from 4 to 5 p.m. through a live virtual event on Microsoft Teams. Questions can be sent in advance to wpafb.cgoc@us.af.mil. A link to the meeting will be sent via email to the entire Wright-Patterson community.
The last event, a stair climbing challenge, can be done independently. It is meant to pay tribute to the firefighters who responded bravely by climbing the entirety of the World Trade Centers, 110 flights, to save the people trapped inside. The weight of the gear they carried on them that day weighed between 50 to 70 pounds.
Participants are asked to track how many flights of stairs they climb up until Sept. 9 at midnight. At the finish of the event, results will be complied to see how many flights were climbed collectively as an installation as well as individual and directorate totals. Participants are asked to take photos and videos of themselves or colleagues climbing stairs, with or without weights.
Photos and videos must be submitted to wpafb.cgoc@us.af.mil by Sept. 10, and submissions must include name and organization.
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