WHEELING — Honor. Courage. Sacrifice.

These are three words commonly used when talking about the brave men and women who defend the cause of freedom daily around the globe.

And they have special meaning to Robert “Scat” Scatterday, director of the 32nd annual Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic Run and Walk.

In addition to serving as the head of one of the Ohio Valley’s largest athletic events, Scatterday is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who flew 136 missions in Vietnam. And when he took the reins of the Memorial Day weekend road racing event in early 2007, one of the first things he wanted to do was incorporate a tribute to the nation’s finest into the festivities.

“I had a sense that there was a void in the lives and hearts of many veterans and family members of veterans,” Scatterday said.

Such was the genesis of the Torch Relay, an Olympic-style event that honors all branches and eras of military service.

“By offering this memorial, it allowed veterans and other family members to come and present their own personal tribute,” Scatterday said. “There were always people that said they wanted to honor their brother, sister, father, mother, uncle and aunt for what they did.”

Last year’s inaugural event proved so successful that it once again will kick off race weekend festivities at 4 p.m. Friday, May 23, at the Osiris Shrine parking lot in Elm Grove. The procession will cover the final 6 miles of the 20K race course and conclude at the start/finish line at the corner of 14th and Main streets in downtown Wheeling.

After ceremonies at the Main Stage and prior to other events, the 150th Aviation Battalion Air National Guard, which is stationed at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport, will send a solo Black Hawk helicopter over Heritage Port at about 6:25 p.m.

The Ogden Tiny Tot Trot will step off at 6:45 p.m. Friday under the WesBanco skywalk between Chapline and 14th streets. At 7 p.m. Friday, the Ogden Fun Run will take place, followed at 7:15 p.m. by the Ogden Mile/Masters Mile.

Activities on Saturday, May 24, begin with the 20K Walk at 7:30 a.m. The main event — the 20K Run — gets under way at 8 a.m., with the 5K Run and Walk starting at 8:15 a.m.

Four area veterans will lead their respective eras during the Torch Relay — Gunnery Sgt. Dale Sigler, Tech Sgt. Jim Koonce, Cmdr. Robert Kota and Lt. Col. Paul Hicks.

Sigler, retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, is happy to be back again this year representing veterans who served during the World War II era.

“I thought it was great,” the Moundsville native said of the 2007 event. “Anytime the military or a function of the military draws that much attention ... I like that. I’m looking forward to it again.”

Sigler, 82, was a junior at Moundsville High School when he left to join the U.S. Navy. He spent three years on a destroyer in the Pacific Theater before returning to the Ohio Valley and graduating from Wheeling High School in 1947. He eventually returned to military service, serving in the Korean and Vietnam wars before retiring in 1965.

These days, Sigler is active in many local military organizations, and he also utilizes his woodworking skills to carve emblems for the Marine Corps Reserves based in Moundsville.

Koonce, who will represent Korean War-era vets for the second year, entered the military in 1949. The 1948 Shadyside High School graduate who now lives in Moundsville soon found himself as a member of the Rangers.

“They had to train the Rangers to go out 5 to 7 miles ahead of the troops,” Koonce said. “They had no maps of Korea. They had no idea where anything was.”

In November 1950, Koonce was injured by a hand grenade, and in 1951 he was honorably discharged. He returned to the local area and eventually worked 16 years at American Electric Power’s Mitchell Plant in Marshall County.

Koonce, who served as commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart No. 709 for nine years, said the Torch Relay means a lot to him.

“It’s great that people recognize us,” he said. “When we first came home, people really didn’t recognize us. It makes you feel very honored.”

Kota is in his first year representing vets from the Vietnam era.

“I think it’s really nice for the people to see the older vets, as well as the ones who went over to Iraq,” said Kota, who is retired from the U.S. Naval Reserves.

Kota, a Warwood native whose father also served in the Navy, entered the service in 1968 after graduating from West Liberty State College. And though he never spent time in Southeast Asia during his two-plus years in the military, Kota did have a hand in training those who did through his work on the U.S.S. Guadalcanal, a helicopter carrier.

“We went down to the Caribbean, and we would go down there for training and to the Panamanian jungle for training,” Kota said.

Hicks spent time in Iraq from August 2005 to October 2006 as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. Hicks, who has been a member of the Reserves for 20 years, said his participation in last year’s event representing vets from Gulf War era was fulfilling.

“The reception was nice,” Hicks said this week from Fort Lee, Va., where he was participating in a military function.

“All of the veterans were getting their due. We know we have the support of the people.”

In addition to all of the veterans, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin is scheduled to participate in the Torch Relay for the second year.

Others slated to carry the torch include Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron, Ohio County Sheriff Tom Burgoyne, Ohio County Commissioner Greg Stewart, Brenda Danehart and Doug Paisley.