An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Heroes helping Heroes

  • Published
  • By Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Shackelford
  • 1-43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Hundreds of service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines came together for a 5K run to help raise funds and awareness for Heart Heroes, Inc. The event, sponsored by Team Hyperion of the 1-43rd Air Defense Artillery Battalion, which falls under the command of the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade here, raised more than $2,700 for the Heart Heroes organization which provides superhero capes for children being treated for congenital heart defects.

The inspiration for the fundraiser came from a news report that aired on NBC Nightly News. The segment was about Heart Heroes and featured Tandi Rasmussen of New York state, the mother of a 6-year-old boy named Dylan, who received one of the capes as he faced medical challenges and ongoing heart surgeries.

After viewing the news report, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Shackelford and 2nd Lt. Rebecca Van Beurden contacted Heart Heroes and began planning the Heroes Helping Heroes event. With the support of local Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army commands, the event quickly took shape.

After receiving command approval to host the event, Shackelford and Van Beurden recruited the creative talents of Staff Sgt. Ryan Courts. His contributions to the events Facebook page design and local advertising resulted in the participation of almost 300 service members.

The air base commander, along with Team Hyperion commander Capt. Khristina Allen, opened the event with a few words about the Heart Heroes organization. All of the participants wore the name of a young hero living with a congenital heart defect on their clothing, and on the command of go the race participants began running.

The Heroes Helping Heroes banner will be mailed back to Heart Heroes to be shared with their team of little heroes. "This event was a great success and a great capstone project for Team Hyperion to wrap up their deployment on a positive note," said Shackelford.