MOB Traffic steps up for servicemen and women.  

On the afternoon of April 6, 2005, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter went down in eastern Afghanistan, about 80 miles southwest of the capital Kabul. Everyone aboard was killed, including five crew, three civilian contractors, and 10 servicemen and women.

It had been the deadliest U.S. military helicopter crash since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, the global war on terrorism launched after the attacks of 9-11. The helicopter was just returning from a mission in the militant-plagued south when it struck severe weather. 

“It was devastating to us because our unit served in Iraq without casualties,” said Major Craig Wilhelm, event organizer and unit commander at the time. “We had just returned to our home base in Germany before being deployed to Afghanistan 11 months later.”

“Our unit, Big Windy, consisted of 19 helicopters and about 270 servicemen and women at the time,” said Wilhelm. “We knew we wanted to do something to remember our fallen crew members and passengers.”

Wilhelm would realize this vision to memorialize those aboard Windy25 five years later. After speaking with surviving family members and unit veterans, he and co-founders Nickolas Duncan and Stacey Duncan settled on an idea that brought people together as much as it memorialized their sacrifice.

“We wanted to create something around a challenge, an event that remembered them but also involved the surviving families,” said Wilhelm. “Establishing an annual Windy25 Memorial 5K Run-Walk became something we could rally around.”

Since, the Windy25 Memorial 5K Run-Walk in Las Vegas has consistently attracted 200 to 300 runners (with more than 100 of them being Big Windy soldiers and veterans) and raised more than $1.2 million over the past 13 years. This year, organizers are hoping to raise an additional $30,000-$50,000, with the funds benefitting organizations such as the Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS), Legacies Alive, The Folded Flag Foundation, and smaller efforts as part of the charity’s legacy, such scholarships for ROTC students. 

“The journey has been pretty amazing because we’ve created a strong sense of family in what we do,” said Wilhelm. “You know, they say you don’t get to choose your family, but we’ve been able to do that despite the unfortunate circumstances that brought us together. We get together every year, share in this experience, and celebrate the courage and lives of those we lost.”

Even more amazing, Wilhelm says it’s a family that keeps growing. Over the years, surviving families of the passengers whose names were not initially released by the U.S. Army have come forward. And this year, Drake Sanders, son of SSG Chuck Sanders, will bring his new baby to the race to represent a third generation of surviving family members. 

“Any time we meet new family members, see the surviving children graduate, or hear stories about the accomplishments they’ve earned or challenges they’ve overcome, it reinforces our resolve to keep running,” says Wilhelm. “Luke Murphy just enrolled as a freshman at The Citadel in South Carolina. Another recently graduated from Texas Christian University. And another from a college in Charleston, South Carolina.”

Along with sharing success stories, the Windy25 families have made some stories too. In 2014, they met former Army fullback/captain and soldier Mike Viti in Las Vegas on his historic walk across America to honor every soldier who died fighting in the War on Terror. For every kilometer walked, Viti wrote the name of a fallen soldier on a flag. It took 14 flags to include all 6,830 names, including the names of those aboard Windy25. 

“Las Vegas has always been a great location for us because more than 200 surviving family members live here, and we receive additional support from Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases,” he said. “We were also very fortunate to have met Masters of Barricades at the inception of our event. We were a small, fledgling charity with nothing more than a wing and a prayer, but they stepped up to support us as if we were one of the biggest events they create traffic plans for and manage in Las Vegas. So it’s been a great partnership.”

To learn more about the Windy25 Memorial Fund and 5K race this weekend, visit their website or Facebook page. This year’s race will begin and end at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Participants may enroll for the 5k run/walk or participate virtually. The Windy25 Memorial Fund is also supported by smaller events and sponsorships throughout the year.