Photo By Senior Airman Sarah Post | Airman 1st Class Gavin Norwood, 67th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron aircraft...... read more read more
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- They may be separated by 4,931-miles, however Senior Master Sgt. Jared Norwood, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron senior enlisted leader, and his son Airman 1st Class Gavin Norwood, 67th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron aircraft hydraulics maintainer, didn’t let that stop them from honoring National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day in a unique way, together.
Every year in September, military installations across the Department of Defense honor National POW/MIA Recognition Day with ruck marches or runs that require service members carry the American flag and POW/MIA flag for 24-hours straight. This year, the father and son duo will be participating in all 24-hours at their respective duty stations. Jared Norwood ran and walked at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, from Sept. 19-20, 2024, and Gavin Norwood rucked and walked at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, from Sept. 12-13, 2024.
The pair didn’t decide to run for 24 hours without stopping on a whim. Jared Norwood has been building his passion for ultra running since 2019, and Gavin Norwood has been building his passion for fitness since middle school, a lifestyle that he accredits to his dad.
After two knee surgeries and over 11 months of physical therapy between 2018-2019 to repair a torn quadricep tendon, Jared Norwood found himself struggling with the state of his mind and body.
“After the first surgery the doctor said it would be tough, but I could work to get back to almost normal,” said Jared Norwood. “Then, I retore the muscle and after the second surgery the doctor wasn’t too sure about my recovery.”
Then, Jared Norwood confided in a friend and was introduced to David Goggins, the retired Navy SEAL, ultra-distance runner and motivational speaker, and dove into the ultra-distance world himself, pushing his mind and body to his limits.
Pushing those limits paid off. Before long, he was recovering from his surgeries and was logging 50-miles a week in running. Then in 2019, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, held their annual POW/MIA run and Jared decided to run it for the whole 24-hour period, solo.
Eighty-two miles later, then Master Sgt. Jared Norwood, was hooked on ultra distance running. Most recently in 2023, he competed in a 48-hour, 131.2-mile race and placed second.
Gavin Norwood adopted his father’s fitness lifestyle. Starting alongside his dad, he branched off into solo running and most recently rucking. He doesn’t plan to become an ultra-runner like his dad now, he said, but does credit his dad for teaching him to never give up and that anything is possible.
Gavin is at his first duty assignment, following in his fathers’ footsteps again by enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, and signed up to do his base’s 24-hour POW/MIA event before Jared Norwood signed up here.
“I saw on my base’s online bulletin board that there was going to be a 24-hour POW/MIA run,” said Gavin Norwood. “My dad completed a 24-hour POW/MIA run a few years ago and logged around 82 miles, now it’s my turn to see how far I can get. So for me, it’s a little bit of a competition between us. I also wanted to take the opportunity to honor POW/MIA’s for their service, because they deserve that at the least.”
Jared and Gavin Norwood are running for more than the chance to compete against each other and run an ultra-distance in 24-hours. They are running to support POW/MIA Recognition Day and to remember the Americans who were prisoners of war and those who served and never returned home.
At the end of their respective remembrance runs, Jared Norwood completed 50 miles and Gavin Norwood completed 66-miles, including leading the base’s first sergeant group on the final 2.8-mile leg to the finish line and closing ceremony.
“I am proud to not only be honoring our POW/MIA’s through suffering with my son, but to serve in the world’s greatest Air Force alongside him as well,” said Jared Norwood.
The father-son duo plans to continue their fitness journey together and support another military tradition by competing in the Bataan Memorial Death March in 2025, an annual marathon held in White Sands, New Mexico, that honors the Americans who were forced to suffer in the Bataan Death March in the Philippines during World War II.
In addition to Jared Norwood, five other members of the 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron participated in some or all of the 24-hour event at F.E. Warren AFB to honor POW/MIA. Tech Sgt. Kyree Joppy, 90 GCTS training instructor, completed 50 miles, Maj. Jeffrey Karr, 90 GCTS commander, completed 35 miles, Master Sgt. Johnny Nunnes, 90 GCTS training instructor, completed 30 miles, Master Sgt. Chris Hampton, 90 GCTS medical operation flight chief, completed 10 miles, and Tech. Sgt. Peter Calero-Rodriguez, 90 GCTS training instructor, completed 10 miles.
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2024 12:16 |
| Story ID: | 481626 |
| Location: | F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE WYOMING , WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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