Goodfellow Remembers POW/MIA Published Sept. 22, 2025 By Senior Airman Quatasia Carter 17th Training Wing GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- In honor of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, the 17th Training Wing hosted three remembrance events at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Sept. 19, 2025. U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 17th Training Wing Base Honor Guard prepare to present the colors on Mathis Field, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Sept. 18, 2025. The 2025 POW/MIA Vigil opened with the honor guard's presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Quatasia Carter) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Participants kick-started the memorial Sept. 17 with a 5k Remembrance Ruck around the base in honor of all Americans who are prisoners of war or still missing in action. Col. Nathan Olsen, 17th Mission Support Group commander, spoke at the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy before the ruck, reminding participants of the importance of remembering prisoners of war and service members missing in action. The ruck started and ended at the academy. Following a nation wide tradition, the base held a POW/MIA 24- hour Run at Mathis Field, Sept. 18. The base held the run at Mathis Field, joining a national tradition where participants take turns running to keep the POW/MIA flag in motion. The run is meant to symbolize the tireless efforts to account for service members who are prisoners of war or missing in action. Participants carry the POW/MIA flag during the POW/MIA Remembrance Ruck at the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire Academy, Sept. 17, 2025. National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 to be celebrated on the third Friday of September to honor all Americans who were prisoners of war or remain missing in action. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “Today is not about us,” said San Angelo Mayor Tom Thompson as a guest speaker during the opening ceremony. “It's about those who could not be with us. It's about the prisoners of war who endured captivity with courage, and the service members who remain missing in action from conflicts past and present.” During the opening ceremony, a baton containing a scroll with the names of 4,000 Texan POW and MIA service members from past conflicts was on display, along with a relic recovered in 1993 from the North Vietnamese Hoa Lo Prison. The baton was passed on with the flag between runners during the vigil, signifying the unwavering dedication to bring home American service members. “At any time, we may be called into action to go exercise the incredible strength of our joint force, and we must be ready,” said Chief Master Sgt. Derek Neill, 17th TRW command chief during opening remarks. “I would offer to you that part of that readiness is building that deep and unwavering faith that if you become a prisoner of war, or if you fall on the battlefield, that you become missing, that you are not forgotten, that you are our brother and sister and that we will bring you home.” The POW/MIA Vigil ended Sept. 19 with Neill and first sergeants from the 17th Training Wing running the final hour and carrying the POW/MIA flag into the closing ceremony. First Sergeants carry the POW/MIA flag during the last leg of the 2025 POW/MIA 24-hour run at Mathis Field, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Sept. 19, 2025. Over 125 volunteers participated in this year’s run. Runners included Air Force, Department of the U.S. Air Force civilians, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, and members of the community. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Quatasia Carter) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “With events like these where we pause to reflect and recognize the sacrifice of military professionals and warriors that paved the way for us,” said Neill. “I try to determine what we can learn and how we can use their experience to make us more resilient.” Throughout the run, the names of 81,000 missing Americans were repeatedly read over a loudspeaker, a constant reminder of their sacrifice. “What I'd like you to take away from this,” said retired Maj. Larry Miller. “Is that your country will move heaven and millions of pounds of dirt to bring our folks home, and I think that's awfully important if you are lost somewhere.”
