Ambassadors on the track Published July 10, 2009 By Senior Master Sgt. Torrence McGee 6th Communications Squadron MacDill AFB, Fla -- Senior Master Sgt. Torrance McGee is a member of the 6th Communications Squadron and was the coach of the Air Force and Armed Forces Track & Field team from 1997 until his retirement in 2009. Imagine this headline, "War averted between _____ and _____ due to friendship of track athletes" Fill in the blanks with any country you want. Imagine a military athlete competing in track and field from a past international competition remembering meeting an athlete from another nation and getting to know the person one on one. Imagine that athlete ascending to be the Commander of that country's armed forces and meeting the athlete from the other nation at a meeting to defuse tensions between two nations to keep them from going to war. Can this happen or has this happened? I don't know for sure, but since I have been coaching the Air Force and the Armed Forces track and field team since 1997, I have built professional military relationships with leaders of various armed forces around the world. On June 5, 17 U.S. military members set out on a mission to represent the United States in a competition of athleticism on the field in front of 31 nations including Iran, China, Pakistan, Algeria, India, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Morocco and Jordan to name a few. But the U.S. Armed Services team had more on their mind then just winning medals at the 43rd World Military Track & Field Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria from June 6-13. They had their mind on ensuring that the image of the U.S. was presented in the proper image, like many world-class athletes do at competitions like the Olympics, Goodwill games and other athletic competitions around the world each year. The purpose of the games is to develop friendly relations between the Armed Forces of member nations, support less privileged members in the name of friendship and solidarity, contribute towards the balanced and harmonious development of military personnel, and contribute to the international effort for universal peace. As with any competition, the goal is to come away with as many medals as possible and the U.S had some great performances. First Lt. Nathaniel Garcia, Army World Class Athlete Program, Fort Carson, Colo., was the only U.S. member to medal at the games, winning the bronze medal in the men's 400-meter hurdles. Three other U.S. members finished their events in the top eight: Sgt. Golden C. Coachman, Army World Class Athlete Program, Fort Carson, Colo., qualified for the finals in the men's 800-meter and placed fourth, First Lt. Paul Gensic, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, finished fourth in the men's pole vault, and Tech. Sgt. Latisha Moulds, Warfield Air National Guard Base, Md., qualified for the finals in the women's 200-meter and placed seventh. But, the U.S. team came away with more than medals at these games; they came away with new friendships with military members from other nations who otherwise they would have never got the chance to meet and it is those moments I will always treasure the moments as the coach for the Air Force and Armed Forces track teams. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to help the U. S. Armed Forces track and field program win seven AIRNORTH Women's Track & Field Championships and four men's championships. I am thankful that the Air Force Sports Office trusted me enough to act upon my idea to maintain the Air Force Track & Field program during the time of budget cuts by facilitating a plan to link the Air Force Track Program with the USAFE Track program which helped 350 service members reach their dreams of representing the United States in international competitions. I am thankful that my USATF Association Level 1 and 2 Endurance coach certifications has helped me to coach four World Military Game teams in which athletes captured two silver medals and three bronze medals. But more than anything I am thankful for the opportunity to be an ambassador for the U.S. On June 12, I passed on the coaching and ambassador baton as a military member to Staff Sgt. Calvin Bostic from Ramstein AFB, Germany. I know the Air Force and the Armed Forces Track and Field programs will be in great hands under his leadership. As I look forward to my retirement from the Air Force on Aug 28, I plan to continue coaching and act as a consultant, helping put together the Armed Forces team competing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in July 2011. As we say at each meet, GO USA! REPRESENT! Full results of the recent Armed Forces competition in Sofia, Bulgaria from June 6-13 can be found at http://www.cism-worldathletics2009.com/