HARDIN COUNTY, Texas — A group known as Special Tactics are making more than an 800-mile trip to honor one of their own.
Members from the Air Force's ground special operations force began the journey on Friday at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
Monday, the men arrived in Hardin County.
The "ruck" march as it's called, means that soldiers carry a weighted pack while marching over a distance at a relatively quick pace.
"Ruckers," or the those marching, typically use this as an exercise.
Yet, the group of men that traveled into Kountze Monday have designated the march for Dylan Elchin, 25.
He grew up in the small town of Hookstown, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
While serving in Afghanistan on Nov. 27, 2018, Elchin was killed after his vehicle hit an IED in the Ghazni Province.
Months later, his combat brothers are honoring Elchin in a big way.
Twenty members from the Air Force Special Tactics unit have volunteered to participate in a memorial march from Texas to Florida.
"We will have been on the road with the batons the entire time," says Chief Master Sergeant for the 24th Special Operation Wing Jeffrey Guilman. "You can imagine the logistics of moving 24/7 over that course with that many people."
The 11-day, 830-mile journey serves to remember Staff Sergeant Elchin, who was a Special Tactics combat controller.
"The news of him passing was very difficult to handle and then getting stateside and then having to integrate back into life without him was very difficult," says a teammate of Elchin. "Knowing that his memory is going to be kept alive, it really does something for you knowing that his memory will carry on."
Elchin's unit, the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, are based at Cannon Air Force base in New Mexico.
For the airmen who knew him personally to the men stationed elsewhere, the mission remains the same...to carry on his memory.
"Dylan was very selfless, he was a very good teammate," says a teammate of Elchin. "He was a very 'hard charger' is a good term we use and that is embodied in this march."
The Special Tactics Memorial March only takes place when a member of the Air Force Special Tactics is killed in combat, with the last happening in 2015.
This year, the group is doing something a little different.
The airmen are also carrying batons with the names of two Army Special Forces members who died alongside Elchin on Nov. 27, 2018.
U.S. Army Captain Andrew Ross & U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Eric Emond.
Elchin's teammate says "Just to be a part of this is real gratifying to see not only the support that we get from inside the air force but also outside."
During this long and tiring process, the men split into pairs.
Each pair walks between 12-14 miles per day before passing along the batons, flag and gear to the next pair.
It's a continuous 24-hour cycle.
"We would welcome anyone who wants to come out and be a part of the event to cheer us on," says Guilmain. "Ultimately, the whole point of this event is to support our force, support our families and make sure message is out there to the American public."
The group will be passing through Silsbee, Evadale and Deweyville in the early hours of Tuesday morning before crossing the border into Louisiana.
On March 4, the airmen plan to arrive in Hurlburt Field, Florida, the final destination of the march.
The significance of the 20 men participating in the 2019 march is to recognize all 20 soldiers within the Special Tactics who have lost their lives since 9/11.
Master Sgt. William McDaniel of Greenville, Ohio, Special Tactics Pararescueman, Feb. 22, 2002
Staff Sgt. Juan Ridout of Oak Harbor, Wa., Special Tactics Pararescueman, Feb. 22, 2002
Master Sgt. John Chapman of Windsor Locks, Conn., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Mar. 4, 2002
Senior Airman Jason Cunningham of Camarillo, Calif., Special Tactics Pararescueman, Mar. 4, 2002
Staff Sgt. Scott Sather of Clio, Mich., Special Tactics Combat Controller, April 8, 2003
Capt. Derek Argel of Lompoc, Calif., Special Tactics Officer, May 30, 2005
Capt. Jeremy Fresques of Farmington, N. M., Special Tactics Officer, May 30, 2005
Staff Sgt. Casey Crate of Spanaway, Wash., Special Tactics Combat Controller, May 30, 2005
Senior Airman Adam Servais of Onalaska, Wis., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Aug. 19, 2006
Technical Sgt. Scott Duffman of Albuquerque, N.M., Special Tactics Pararescueman, Feb. 18, 2007
Technical Sgt. William Jefferson of Norfolk, Va., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Mar. 22, 2008
Staff Sgt. Timothy Davis of Aberdeen, Wash., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Feb. 20, 2009
Senior Airman Daniel Sanchez of El Paso, Texas, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 16, 2010
Senior Airman Mark Forester of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 29, 2010
Technical Sgt. John Brown of Tallahassee, Special Tactics Pararescueman, Aug. 6, 2011
Technical Sgt. Daniel Zerbe of York, Pa., Special Tactics Pararescueman, Aug. 6, 2011
Staff Sgt. Andrew Harvell of Long Beach, Calif., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Aug. 6, 2011
Capt. Matthew Roland of Lexington, Ky., Special Tactics Officer, Aug. 26, 2015
Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley of Pensacola, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Aug. 26, 2015
Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin of Hookstown, Pa., Special Tactics Combat Controller, Nov. 27, 2018
Special Tactics are the most decorated community in the Air Force since the end of the Vietnam War; with one Medal of Honor, ten Air Force Crosses, and 44 Silver Stars.
There are roughly 1,000 Special Tactic operators serving our country today.
You can follow the Special Tactics Memorial March by liking it's Facebook page.