BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The cadence could be heard from across the open fields and over the whistling winds of a chill spring afternoon, “Let me hear you stomp left...stomp right…let me hear you stomp two times,” but it was the response of the flight that echoed in the hearts and minds of onlookers – “Awoo!”
In two columns, more than 60 Airmen and Sailors from the 55th Security Forces Squadron marched in step from Haworth Park to the Base Lake and back March 5, each of the six miles representing a year of the late U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Bunten’s selfless service. Bunten, a fellow 55th SFS defender, lost his life in an automobile accident while home on leave in Eugene, Oregon.
With them, they carried heavy hearts and ruck sacks. Behind them trailed other Team Offutt and community members.
“The ruck march is a symbolic thing for the military,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ian Dinesen, 55th SFS commander. “It is about perseverance, the strength of carrying on, and is representative of the burdens and loads we have to carry.”
Through the march, the true meaning of a military family began to shine through.
“We came out here to show an outpouring of support for sergeant Bunten,” said U.S/ Air Force Airman 1st Class Eric Case, one of Bunten’s troops and the event organizer. “He was very popular in our flight and it was hard seeing the faces of loss. We just wanted to organize something where we could all get together and really start the healing process.”
Case said he remembers Bunten as an exceptional leader who was always smiling and helpful. He wasn’t the only one who remembers Bunten fondly.
“Bunten was a true professional in every sense of the phrase,” Dinesen said. “He displayed all of his duties with honor, commitment and dedication. Not only was he superior at his job, he made sure that those who came after him, our youngest airmen, would strive for the same. He was full of empowerment and leadership and wanted to make sure he left the campground better than what he found it.”
The ruck march was followed by a candlelight vigil and a moment of silence.
“You are never alone in any of this,” Case said. “It is always hard to recover from a loss. Just know you always have a shoulder to lean on, whether it is the 55th SFS or just one of his friends.”
There will be a memorial service held in honor of Bunten on March 11 at 10 a.m. at the Capehart Chapel.