Late CMSAF’s legacy lives on through memorial run

  • Published
  • By Samantha Vanpelt
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — A memorial run honoring the ninth chief master sergeant of the Air Force will be held Sept. 29 in Sacramento.

For the past four years, the Chief Binnicker 9k Memorial Run has been held largely in Shalimar, Florida. The race honors the late James C. Binnicker, former CMSAF and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Air Force Enlisted Village from 2000 to 2015.

This year, for the first time in its history, the run is being held in California.

The Air Force Sergeant Association chapters from Travis AFB and Beale AFB are hosting the event. Registration is open, and runners can sign up on the website at https://give.afev.us/event/cmsaf-binnicker-memorial-9k-run-cal2019/e239501. All proceeds will go to the Air Force Enlisted Village. Runners who register by Sept. 1 will receive an official event t-shirt and coin. Donations can also be placed through the website.

The Air Force Enlisted Village (AFEV), originally known as the Air Force Enlisted Widows Home Foundation, was started by a group of active-duty and retired Air Force noncommissioned officers, with assistance from former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John D. Ryan and his wife.

Though the name has changed, the mission has stayed the same: to provide a home for surviving spouses of U.S. military heroes. Under Binnicker, the AFEV constructed the Hawthorn House, a 64-unit assisted living and memory support residence in Shalimar. He also expanded the AFEV campus by 96 apartments, a collection now referred to as Village 5. The campus now boasts 352 apartments and nearly 500 residents.

Binnicker is also responsible for what is known across the Air Force Enlisted Village as “The Mom Rule.” The rule is comprised of three points:

  1. Would I do this to my mother?
  2. Would I do this for my mother?
  3. Would my mother approve?

“That’s our mission,” Binnicker said, regarding the rule, when he became President and CEO of the AFEV. “We take care of someone’s mom. If we can answer those questions correctly, then we would never be accused of mistreating someone’s mom.”

The stories found on the Air Force Enlisted Village’s website attest to Binnicker’s words.

“Living here is a godsend,” stated one AFEV resident. “I am surrounded by angels.”

Another resident, Mrs. Hansen, said, “Living here is the absolute blessing of my life. Everyone here takes such good care of me!”

“Our mission is serious,” Binnicker once said. “We provide a home.”

The proceeds from the Sacramento run and the concurrent one on the east coast will help the Air Force Enlisted Village keep its doors open for years to come.