Members of the 227th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS), a New Jersey Air National Guard squadron assigned to the 177th Fighter Wing, organized the event and kept the challenge alive by continuously circling the track overnight in rainy and very cold weather.
“There was a lot of coordination between unit members on base as well as family members and obviously, within our squadron, a lot of guys picking up a lot of the weight to get this thing up and get everything off the ground,” said Senior Airman Michael Curley, the lead organizer from the 227th ASOS. “We received a lot of help from our local community with businesses donating things for the runners; snacks, hoagies and pizza to keep us going throughout the 24 hours.”
The 24 Hour Challenge is a nation-wide event for the JTAC community and last year over $110 thousand was raised for the TACP Association to raise awareness to continue their support to the TACP community.
“There have been a lot of changes in the 227th ASOS in the past few years and as we continue to grow and mature, future leadership positions are established,” said Maj. Daniel Roske, 227th Operations Officer. “I’m truly humbled and honored by each and every one of you and what you do every single day. Let’s remember the fallen; Gung ho.”
Promoting physical fitness while honoring the fallen, the 24 Hour Challenge gets a lot of people exercising for a good cause and putting in a lot of miles.
In 2016, 5,231 participants ran a total of 46,098 miles nationwide; equal to almost two times around the planet.
“This event really puts into focus for me why we show up on a day-to-day basis and what all the little requirements are that lead up to this…to supporting these guys and their families," said Curley. “We would all want this done for us so it’s really a great honor to be in this position to help set this up and get this thing rolling for these guys. TACPs are such a tight knit community and this is something that we really respect and hold near and dear.”
Date Taken: | 04.02.2017 |
Date Posted: | 04.14.2017 13:34 |
Story ID: | 230430 |
Location: | EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY, US |
Web Views: | 303 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 227th Air Support Operations Squadron honors the fallen during the Sixth Annual 24 Hour Challenge, by Andrew Moseley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.