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KADENA AIR BASE, Japan – As rain clouds began to dissipate and
the sun began to shine, the sound of cheers could be heard blocks
away from Kadena's Risner Fitness Center, Nov. 2, 2013. The day had
finally come — the 14th Annual Kadena Special Olympics was about to
begin.
Armed with a hand radio and a cell phone, Senior
Master Sgt. Robert Miller, 909th Aircraft Maintenance Unit
superintendent, was ready to spring into action and tackle the day's
issues.
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert Miller, 909th Aircraft
Maintenance Unit superintendent, cheers special-needs athletes
during the 14th annual Kadena Special Olympics on Kadena Air Base,
Japan, Nov. 2, 2013. The event is sponsored by the 18th Wings and
the Friends of Kadena Special Olympics in partnership with the
Okinawa Prefectural Government, Okinawa City, Kadena Town, Chatan
Town and all U.S. military services on island. The Friends of Kadena
Special Olympics is a chartered private organization of military and
civilian volunteers dedicated to enriching the lives of
special-needs individuals through this sporting and cultural event.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Amber E. N. Jacobs) |
With a crackle over the radio and a quick response back
to the control center, the senior master sergeant was on the
move.
In what seemed like a matter of seconds Miller
was on-scene conducting crowd control as he energetically
assisted guests with questions and gave high-fives to the
athletes.
“This is what I
look forward to,” Miller said while applauding special needs
athletes as they walked through a gauntlet of cheers and
high-fives. “Seeing the athlete's excitement is why I
volunteer.”
Not before long another call came in
over the radio, the official opening ceremony needed more
balloons, and he was off.
With the balloons in-hand,
he stepped through the double doors of the fitness center
and said, “We're going to run for it,” as the brightly
colored balloons quickly trailed after him to the field
where the special needs athletes waited for the ceremony to
begin.
With the guests waiting for the event to
kick-off, Miller began passing out balloons to eager
athletes and family members.
“Kadena Special Olympics
is personal to me because my best friend has a special needs
daughter,” Miller explained. “When I first started
volunteering in 2004, I went in with some apprehensions, but
after you interact with the special needs athletes, it opens
you up, and you want to volunteer every single year for
this. It was an eye opening experience.”
Miller has
been hooked ever since, making this his fifth year
participating in the event.
“The very first year, I
was a cheerer and logistics assistant,” he said. “The second
year I did it, my best friend and I took over running the
sports events, and ever since then, I've always been in a
leadership position.”
For Miller, doing something he
loves is important, not because it is expected on a
performance report, but because helping others is something
he likes to do.
“When I give feedback to my senior
NCOs and my junior NCOs that I rate on, I tell them, ‘you
don't volunteer for events just to fill a block on you EPR;
go find something you love to do and go do it,'” Miller
said. “This is one of those things that I love to do.”
As the event began to start, another crackle came over
the hand radio and once again Miller was on the move, this
time Special Olympic banners had blown over in the wind and
needed to be fixed.
Every year thousands of
volunteers assist the special needs athletes and artists
during the Kadena Special Olympics and this year was no
exception. With more than 2,000 volunteers and approximately
400 local interpreters in support of one of the largest
Special Olympics events outside the United States, this
year's event had more than 1,300 special needs participants
ready to compete.
“Everything from the huggers
[athlete escorts], cheerers, medical coverage, food
handlers, interpreters, trash collectors, etc. is staffed by
volunteers,” said Master Sgt. Robert Wilkins, Kadena Special
Olympics volunteer coordinator. “So without the generous
donation of time and resources from the Okinawa Community,
to include all military services, Japan Air Self-Defense
Force included, as well as local nationals, this event just
wouldn't happen.”
The dedication of the volunteers
that participate in this event every year make it possible
for the Kadena Special Olympics to appear to go off without
a hitch.
“The Kadena Special Olympics would be
impossible without the volunteers,” Wilkins said. “I know
that sounds simple, but it is the absolute truth.”
With less than 10 minutes before the 10 a.m. start time to
the opening ceremony, and after responding to an additional
call for a missing athlete, Miller added, “I got here at
4:30 a.m. to help with this event, and I will work about 14
to 17 hours today.”
Despite the long day and the
countless hours of preplanning that went into the event,
none of that mattered to the senior master sergeant as the
band began to play.
“The biggest satisfaction every
year is seeing the execution of the event and the athletes;
these athletes are the most important thing,” Miller said.
“The volunteers are great ... the donations people give us are
great, but seeing the athletes' faces on game day, that's
what it's all about.”
By USAF Staff Sgt. Amber E. N. Jacobs
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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