LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Heading into his first-ever donation run and half-marathon April 16 in Austin, Senior Airman Forrest Bradley remembers a time when he wasn't that competitive.
He's admits to being somewhat of a "slacker" in the area of community service as well before joining the Air Force.
"Once I joined," he said, "I really wanted to do everything I could."
At Lackland, he's made the most of his free time, coordinating philanthropic efforts through the local chapter of the junior enlisted community service organization, Airman's Voice.
As vice president of the organization, he worked with other dedicated Airmen such as Senior Airman Jason Smith, Airman 1st Class Patricia Jordan, and Airmen 1st Class Lindsay Kelly.
"We've been able to hold food drives, cleanups at local parks, readings for schools, and get groups together to go work on projects for Habitat for Humanity," he said about his two years stationed in San Antonio.
Not immediately involved in competitive sports, a 2nd Air Force's 2009 Airman of the Year was still ambitious.
"I really want to do everything that I can do to make myself a better person. I really believe you have to set goals for yourself," he said.
When it came to athletic achievements, the Airman is rather modest, having only completed a 5K race to date.
He said he eventually wants to run full-marathons to prove to himself he can.
With that mindset, Bradley knew run training and a disciplined diet were a must.
At the recommendation of his NCO in charge at the 802nd Contracting Squadron, he joined The Leukemia & Lymphona Society: Team in Training, an organization dedicated to preparing runners for events and raising donations for blood cancer research.
Combining the interests of community service and athletic ambitions was a logical conclusion for the Airman.
But Bradley wanted to put a personal touch on his mission of completing the Zooma Austin Half Marathon.
He started asking around his office, and that's how he came to meet Linda Hightower, a contract specialist in the same building since 1991.
During her time there, Ms. Hightower said she has "seen people come and go," but the notion of a young Airman broaching her about cancer hadn't crossed her mind.
"It's really funny," she said. "You never expect someone to come up and ask you about a certain illness."
That's exactly what Bradley did.
Ms. Hightower has Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.
A second earlier the strangers had barely known each other, but the brief encounter changed both people involved, even if only a little.
"I told her I wanted to run on her behalf,' Bradley said.
Taken off guard, Ms Hightower said she "was really shocked. I cried."
The co-workers have since developed a bond.
Bradley received more incentive to reach his goal of $1,800 in donations.
It's helped him become a "more dedicated runner," he said. "I can't just slack off. A lot of people are depending on it."
For Ms. Hightower, she said it was nice just to know people care.
"For a young Airman to come up to me, and offer to dedicate the run to me, I was pretty honored," she said. "To talk about my illness was a joy - to know someone wants to hear about it and do something about it."
Since then, Bradley sent the message to people in his social circle, his parents and co-workers.
"Yes, quite a few of us have (donated)," said co-worker Ollie Fuller. "We started teasing him: run Forrest, run."
Since mid-January, Bradley has raised $800 in donations and has run a personal record of seven miles during his training so far. Running four times a week on Lackland's roads, he continues to add a mile each week.
And now, not only does he have a purpose to run, but supporters as well.
"I hope he meets his goal. I know he will," Ms. Hightower said.
Once that's accomplished, as the supporters in his squadron might chide, there will be only one thing left to do: run Forrest.
Bradley continues to accept donations until the end of March through his personal Team Training web page at
http://pages.teamintraining.org/sctx/austhalf11/fbradledc2.