MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Captain Denise Karach, Public Affairs Office  108th Air Refueling Wing  McGuire Air Force Base, NJ (609) 724-4173 or (609) 724-2127
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE (6 April 00)

McGuire Air Force Base, NJ – Members of the 108^th Air Refueling Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard will march this Sunday to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at the Multiple Sclerosis Walk in Pemberton, NJ.

The 108^th ARW is no stranger to helping those in need. When wing members learned that the Society would be conducting a six-mile walk, they volunteered to swap their military boots for walking shoes. Unit members regularly volunteer their time and resources to assist with holiday food and toy drives, veterans' home visits, and community events. The wing, known as the "Jersey Thunder," flies air-refueling missions around the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms may be mild such as numbness in the limbs or more severe, with paralysis or loss of vision. Only a few years ago there were no treatments that could alter the course of MS. Today there are drugs that can reduce attacks and slow the disease's progression for some people. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society's goal is to find a cure for MS.

Registration for the Walk begins at 9 a.m.; the Walk will start at 10 a.m.

For more information about the 108^th Air Refueling Wing's participation in the MS Walk, contact their Community Manager, Captain Denise Karach, at 609-724-4173 or 609-724-2127. For further details about the MS Walk, contact the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Linda Smith or Kevin Wheeler, at 215-271-1500 or 856-858-6900.