5K planned to honor area veteran

WAPAKONETA - An area family is organizing a new 5K race this year in memory of Senior Airman Kevin Bittinger and all who have served in the armed forces.

The 5K Veterans Memory Run/Walk is 2 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Veterans Memorial Park in Wapakoneta in honor of Bittinger, who died in May while stationed in South Korea. Money raised at the event will be donated for a new veterans memorial at Greenlawn Cemetery, Wapakoneta, and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Bittinger, who would have turned 25 on Sept. 24, was a 2009 graduate of Wapakoneta High School. During his nearly six years in the Air Force, he was deployed to Afghanistan and South Korea and served as a member of the Honor Guard.

According to his mother, Cindy, as a child, Bittinger wanted to be a police officer. However, he decided to join the Air Force shortly after high school graduation.

"He always wanted to protect and serve," said Cindy Bittinger, a Celina native whose maiden name is Jaeger.

When asked to describe her son, Cindy Bittinger said he was a man with a gentle soul who was dedicated to his country.

"He was a bit shy. The military kind of helped him with that," she said. "He was a very sweet boy. He always took care of his mom. When he left, I told him, 'It's so hard to let you go because you've always been so good.' "

Her son was an avid runner and bicyclist, she added.

"Kevin was a huge cross country runner before he joined the Air Force," his mother said.

He also participated in track while in middle and high school, and was the 2007 Western Buckeye League 800-meter run champ.

"I think that's what it was, anyways. He would be so mad at me for not being able to quite remember," Cindy Bittinger said with a little laugh.

At the suggestion of a friend, she decided to hold the 5K race to honor her son's memory. Local businesses and sponsors have donated door prizes and funds for the event.

Cindy Bittinger and her sister, Emily Saxer, of Celina, are the main organizers of the event and have solicited family members and friends to help.

"I hope to do this every year but it depends on how well it goes," Bittinger said.

Kevin Bittinger's father, Thomas, found his own way to honor his son's memory. He joined the Patriot Guard Riders after group members attended his son's funeral, joined the procession and stood guard at the service.

The patriot guard is a national organization of motorcycle enthusiasts who attend funerals and memorial services of military personnel, first responders and honorably discharged veterans. The organization started in 2005 after Westboro Baptist Church members began picketing and disrupting the funerals of military personnel.

The upcoming run/walk is not just for Kevin, although he was the inspiration, the family said. It is meant to honor all veterans.

"That's the whole point. We want the military to know how much we appreciate them," Cindy Bittinger said.

While her son was stationed in South Korea, his mother was scheming back home.

"I was training to run a 5K to surprise him when he came home," she said.

On Oct. 25, as runners gather at the starting line, Cindy Bittinger plans to join them on the 3.1-mile course to honor her son every step of the way, she said.

Runners can register for the upcoming event at 5kveteransmemoryrunwalk.weebly.com. For questions, contact Cindy Bittinger at 419-733-8442 or email memory5krun@yahoo.com.