Master Sgt. Christopher Massengill, currently serving as an administrator for the 168th Operations Group, marked the final year of his military career in a meaningful way by running the Air Force Half Marathon. Set to retire in 2026, Massengill will conclude more than 22 years of service across both the active-duty Air Force and the Alaska Air National Guard.

Throughout his career, Massengill worked in two specialties: 17 years as a vehicle operator—now known as ground transportation, and the last five years as an admin. His assignments spanned Clear Space Force Station and Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, with extensive time overseas during his 15 years on active duty. His duty stations included Yokota Air Base in Japan, Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Aviano Air Base in Italy, and finally Eielson, where he served in both active-duty and Guard roles.

After spending nearly his entire career abroad, Massengill joked that he has “no clue what being in the lower 48 is like,” having been away so long. With retirement approaching, this year’s Air Force Marathon was his last opportunity to run the race while still in uniform.

“We decided in December to do it because this would be my last year, actually, in the military—and it was on my birthday,” he said. “Might as well sign up for it and knock it out.”

Despite not having run long distances recently, he trained using a run–walk method to maintain a steady pace and build endurance.

“It was slower, but it helped me sustain the distance,” he said.

Running the Air Force Half Marathon turned out to be the perfect capstone to his service.

“It felt pretty cool to close out my career with a half-marathon and get to see the Air Force Museum and all the Air Force history,” he said. “It was awesome just being there.”

Massengill and his family made the most of the event, running the Air Force 5K together the day before the half-marathon and spending two weeks visiting family and friends.

One of the most meaningful moments for him was the KC-135 flyover during the opening ceremony—an aircraft deeply tied to his current unit, the 168th Wing, Alaska’s KC-135 tanker unit.

“It was pretty neat coming through the finish line running under the wings of the KC-135, C-17, and KC-10,” he said. The 10K, half-marathon, and full-marathon courses all finish beneath the aircraft lined up, and the sun rose close to when he crossed the line.

The Air Force museum was one of the trip’s highlights, as was running the Air Force 5K with his family the day before the half-marathon. The 5k is at Wright University, adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Looking back on more than two decades of service, Massengill describes his career as “a blur”—full of meaningful experiences and countless good memories. “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing,” he said. “There are just a lot of good memories.”

As he prepares for retirement, Massengill leaves the Air Force the same way he served: committed and motivated. He will retire before next year’s 2026 Air Force Marathon. This is why he started planning in December 2024 to run in September 2025.

Way to go out with a bang—and an inspiration to many.