All Things Soldier

All Things Soldier My 2020 Travis Manion Heroes’ Run Hero, Col. Dixey Behnken

by Ali Elizabeth Turner

Four years ago, I wrote a piece entitled Bitten By The 5K Bug, which chronicled my “couchto-5K” training that I completed under the careful tutelage of cer tified road runner Eric Patterson, and his wife, Leigh, now the Execu tive Director of Keep Athens Limestone Beau tiful. The target race was the Travis Manion 9/11 Heroes’ Run, which I completed in a reason able amount of time for a senior citizen, much to my amazement. It’s four years later, and while I am not out continual ly waging war with the road, I still remain a fan of 5Ks, even in the era of COVID. Because of the Coro navirus crunch on so many social activities, race organizers across the nation have gotten creative in keeping races open and going, but at least for this year there is not the satisfaction of having people cheering you on, getting awards, or speeding up that last bit of the race to see if you have bested your previous race times. Some people run in groups six feet apart, and post selfies. Some complete races by themselves, which is what I chose to do this year for reasons I’ll explain in a bit. The Travis Manion 9/11 Heroes’ Run was started to honor fallen soldiers, espe cially those who had perished in the War on Terror. Over time it evolved into honor ing soldiers that are still alive, and this year we were asked to give the foundation the name of the hero for whom you are running. I chose Col. Dixey Behnken (R)). The Travis Manion race is one of my favorites, and I will be glad when we can get back to hav ing our race run through our beautiful city of Athens with all the ac companying festivities and the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. Col. Behnken was our chaplain in Iraq, and he is an undisputed gem. He preached well, gave us enormous freedom when it came to plan ning the worship music for services, and had a particularly wonderful ability to gain the trust of Iraqis. I think they just sensed that he was a trustworthy man. He was an excellent leader, and the value of a solid chaplain in a combat zone is inestimable. He had been stationed for years in Germany, and one time when I could not return to the States (because of the require ment to stay out of the US for 330 days each

year to comply with the foreign worker tax regu lations), Dixey and his wife Julie let me come stay with them in their lovely home in Darm stadt. Being treated like royalty in the land of my forebears made not be ing able to come home during the holidays just that much easier. So, why is Dixey my 2020 Travis Manion hero, and why did I choose to complete the 5K all by myself at “ohdark-hundred?” It was to pray for my friend, brother, and chaplain who suffered a massive stroke, and to consider Mayor Ronnie and I just what it must be like had both been at the to claw your way back same event over the when you are fiercely weekend, the For the independent and have Love of the City “citytaught others to strike wide family reunion,” the balance between sponsored by the Oa self-reliance and leansis Center. It had been ing hard on God. That is a perfect joy, attended what he did for us every by people of every Sunday for a year, and type and stripe, City I wanted to find a way, Council members, 15 years later, to say and members of the thank you. So, dear Dix, Athens Police Depart may God bless you and ment. There was live keep you, make His face music, games, free to shine upon you, and hot dogs, food trucks, give you peace. You are amazing homemade a good shepherd, and I crackers, and awards am honored to know and given to Athenians run for you. who are making a dif ference. Tina Cook, of the Family Resource Center; Laverne Gil bert, who has started a movement to pick up trash and has personal ly picked up more than 100 bags of trash; and City Councilman Frank Travis all received the first annual Spotlight Award, and all three were thankful to people as well as God for the opportunity to serve. “A grand time was had by all,” as they say, and the mayor said, “It was so well done. I hope they do it again.” He also attended the “Shower Up” event sponsored by First United Methodist