For the third year in a row, military members across Fort Hood participated in a ruck march to honor a chaplain from the Korean War.
The event happened Friday morning and every step taken was for Captain Emil Kapaun, who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2013.
He won the medal of honor for actions taken 68 years ago today when he was captured alongside some wounded Troopers and forced to march 87 miles into captivity.
To honor Cpt. Kapaun, over 200 men and women ran over 18 miles while carrying at least 25 pounds of weight Friday morning.
"I think that kind of helped with the motivation to get through today, just to know that everything we went through today was for the bigger picture," Lt. Matthew Hamel said.
Captain Emil Kapaun was the only chaplain awarded a medal of honor during the Korean War
"This is what the army is all about, you know, there are some real bad days you don't want to be a part of it, but then there is days like this where you get to compete with your brothers and sisters and there is nowhere else you get to do this so this is what it's all about," Cpt. Jonathan Cohen said.
The ruck was not only about honoring a fallen hero but in true army fashion, there was some competition involved.
Everyone that participated in the ruck competed for the Norwegian Foot March Skill Insignia, a badge earned by every person who completed the ruck in the time standards given based off their age and gender.
Captain Marc Beaudoin was the first to finish the ruck with a time of two hours and 51 minutes.
"The story behind this event is a pretty great story and so it's always great to win, but that wasn't why we were out here today," Cpt. Beaudoin said.
Last year's event was held in Korea alongside Korean soldiers and organizers say they plan to host the ruck for many years to come.
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