JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- The 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing hosted the 5th Annual Port Dawg Memorial Run here, May 18. The run remembers and honors those lost in the air transportation career field.
“In 2011 the Port Dawg Community experienced the tragic murder of one of our members, TSgt Eccleston,” said Senior Master Sgt. Duane Fish, Pacific Air Forces air transportation functional area manager. “Since 2013, Kadena Air Base, Japan, has held a memorial run in honor of Eccleston, and began what would become an annual event across the entire Air Transportation Career field. Since then, every year all aerial ports and 2T2's across the world have come together during National Transportation Week to hold a memorial Run.”
Aerial ports across the Air Force held and participated in a memorial run, during National Transportation Week, May 14-18, 2018.
“Port Dawg Memorial Run is held all across the globe,” said Fish. “Several locations held their run on the same day, the third Friday in May allowing the Port Dawg community come together. This unites our career field, and builds on the strong comradery that our career field already maintains.”
The memorial run is an annual tradition among port dawgs to memorialize fallen teammates across the Air Force with a ceremony and formation run.
“Our career field is very small and deaths in our community are felt across the globe,” said Fish. “Our career field is inherently dangerous. But, as a force provider we ensure the warfighters receive the necessary equipment to accomplish their missions. This annual memorial event is just one way that we as a career field have chosen to pay particular attention to those lost in our career field.”
This year’s run celebrated the lives of Staff Sgt. Daniel Albert, Senior Airman Billie Dutton, Airman 1st Class Caleb Bailey, Airman 1st Class Patricia Roy, and Airman 1st Class Montiel Alleyne.
Aerial porters, commonly referred to as Port Dawgs, are responsible for military logistics related to aerial ports.