Fairchild honors National POW/MIA Recognition Day with 24-hour ruck march

Airman 1st Class Derrick Mendoza, left, and Airman 1st Class Timothy McFalls, Survive, Evade, Resistance and Escape specialist candidates assigned to the 66th Training Squadron, stand in formation prior to them starting a 24-hour ruck march honoring National POW/MIA Recognition Day at Riverfront Park in Spokane, Washington, Sept. 19, 2024. The march began at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Riverfront Park and ended at Fairchild AFB with participants keeping the POW/MIA flag in constant motion for 24 hours. The event concluded with a recognition ceremony honoring all American prisoners of war, missing in action and their families. Every year, the third Friday in September is recognized in the United States as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The Department of Defense is steadfast in its commitment to finding, recovering, identifying and repatriating the remains of its heroes who are unaccounted for. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lawrence Sena)