'Port Dawgs' hold annual remembrance run for fallen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Krystal Wright
  • 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Members of the Air Force air transportation community, also known as "Port Dawgs," gathered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland with their families to honor fallen aerial porters with the 6th annual Port Dawg Remembrance Run May 18. Aerial porters conducted memorial runs across the Air Force as a sign of unity.

Before the run, they took the time to share memories and held a moment a silence for each fallen Port Dawg.

“We want to come together and show the families that we still care about them,” said Tech. Sgt. Dominic Wimsatt, 322nd Training Squadron military training instructor trainer. “This is a time for us to really reflect, take a step back and relax, and share stories.”

Aerial porters conducted memorial runs across the Air Force as a sign of unity.

“It is pretty awesome that we come together as a community far and wide to memorialize the folks we have lost this past year,” said Chief Master Sgt. William Villarreal, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center major command functional manager for air transportation. “Active duty, reserve, guard – it doesn’t matter; we got Port Dawgs everywhere running.”

The event was held in coordination with National Transportation Week, which celebrates U.S. land, air and sea infrastructure, and those who build and maintain it.

“If something needs to get somewhere, cargo or passengers, we get it there,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Harrison, 502nd Logistics Readiness Squadron passenger services supervisor.

We do everything from passenger terminal to cargo loading to air drop deliveries to handling munitions – anything that goes into the world we have a hand in and we take pride in our logistical prowess,” Wimsatt added.

As they remembered their comrades and honored their sacrifices, the Port Dawgs spoke for pride of their work.

“I absolutely love the fact that we can be called in a moment’s notice to go do humanitarian relief or be sent down range to make sure that the warfighter on the ground that need ammunition, food and water get what they need,” Wimsatt said. “For me, I have a lot of pride in our country and in making sure that our individuals are taken care of.”

“I love this career field; we’re loud and proud, we play hard and work hard,” Villarreal said. “We have that sense of community; we are all brothers and sisters.”

Everything came back to their camaraderie. Each person echoed how tight knit the community was.

 “We may be spread out (all over the world), but we are all Port Dawgs,” Harrison said. “This is a time we get together, boost the moral and remember everything that has happened and who’ve we lost.”