By: Jonisha Miller
Since 2016, the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce has brought to the Torrance community a significant, meaningful, and family-friendly race – the 5K for Freedom in Tribute to Louis Zamperini – a partnership with UCLA Health and Village Runner. Each year, a different military branch is honored for their service; this year, the United States Army which will be celebrating its 250th birthday.
The Chamber will honor six soldiers from the United States Army prior to the 5K run/walk on Saturday, May 17th.
This year’s 5K honorees are:
- Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Brenda Threat, Director of Veteran Services, El Camino College. LTC Threat oversees the programs and services that assist veteran students in achieving academic success, graduation, and ultimately, successful careers. LTC Threat has served as a military officer for 15 years with the California State Guard (Army Division), Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base.
- Second Lieutenant (2LT) Patrick Ben, Purple Heart Recipient, U.S. Army Reserves, El Monte, CA. 2LT Ben’s military career began in 2018, where he enlisted as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator and was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. 2LT Ben earned the Green to Gold Scholarship to the University of Southern California, where he received his Officer nomination and completed his master’s degree in public administration.
- Major Raymond Klutse, Sergeant Major Bernard Neely, Sergeant First Class Aaron Chipix, and Sergeant First Class Rodney Spence, G3 Operations, National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin. Within the NTC, G3 is responsible for planning, coordinating, and evaluating training exercises. This includes identifying training objectives, developing scenarios, and assessing the effectiveness of the training.
With unwavering courage, selfless service, and steadfast dedication, the contributions and achievements of these soldiers are honored and deeply appreciated.
