SDDC remembers and honors 9/11 victims

By Command Affairs Office, SDDCAugust 20, 2012

SDDC remembers and honors 9/11 victims
Members of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command assembled during the early morning on Sept. 9 to remember and honor the thousands of Americans who lost their lives 10 years ago during the terrorist attacks with a 9/11 Remembrance ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL. (Sept. 9, 2011) -- Members of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command assembled early this morning to remember and honor the thousands of Americans who lost their lives 10 years ago during the terrorist attacks with a 9/11 Remembrance Fitness Run/Walk.

Maj. Gen. Kevin A. Leonard, SDDC commanding general, led the remembrance event.

"This event is all about remembering and honoring," Leonard said. "Remembering our fellow citizens who were killed during that horrific attack and honoring the heroes that were placed in harm's way."

SDDC's military and civilian volunteers met at the Scott Air Force Base Parade Field at 5:50 a.m. and started their day with reveille before the run. Afterward, the command's first sergeant divided the volunteers into two platoons -- one for the run and one for the walk.

"Both platoons left the starting point at the same time," said Sgt. 1st Class Jose Amaya, first sergeant for SDDC. "Since we had pre-calculated routes, both platoons returned back to the starting point at the same time."

The runners covered about two and half miles and the walkers covering a lesser distance ensuring their return time matched the runners.

Safety was at the top of the list ensuring a successful remembrance event to include road guards for both platoons and flashlights lighting the way.

SDDC's subordinate units around the world participated in similar remembrance events.

SDDC is the Army service component command of U.S. Transportation Command and is a major subordinate command to Army Materiel Command. This relationship links U.S. TRANSCOM's Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise and AMC's Materiel Enterprise. The command partners with the commercial transportation industry as the coordinating link between DOD surface transportation requirements and the capability industry provides.