Navy Senior Chief Petty
Officer Sid Busch (Retired)

A hero will be in the throng of runners who travel from near and far to participate in the Melvin Fisher Hills and Hollows Half Marathon this Saturday in Valmeyer.

Sid Busch is not a household name in these parts, but he is a well-known and greatly admired distance runner who, at the age of 69, races because he can and because so many others can’t.

Busch, of Charleston, S.C., is the de facto head of a group called “Running in Honor of Fallen Heroes.” His purpose for running is to honor fallen military heroes and their families. His purpose is to toil, struggle, and show that he cares – and that we should as well.

Busch’s race this weekend will be in honor of Valmeyer native son John Peter Guttmann, who graduated from VHS, drove a truck for Mon-Clair Grain, and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968.

Guttmann deployed to Vietnam as a Private First Class with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, American Division. On March 10, 1969, at the tender age of 20, he died in combat near Danang, South Vietnam. He is buried in Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery in Waterloo.

Busch will be easy to identify as he runs.

“I’ll be running near the end of the pack,” he said, laughing.

He will be carrying a 3-by-5-foot American flag the entire way, with a photo of John Peter Guttmann on his back.

Now, that’s honor.

Army Spc. John Peter
Guttmann Jr.

Busch served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years, as a sonar technician on several submarines, being promoted to senior chief petty officer. It was to continue his submarine service that he began distance running.

“I hurt my back,” Busch said. “The Navy felt that I would no longer be physically able to serve on submarines, that I would never have the stamina. I was being scrutinized by a medical board.”

Busch said he offered the head of the medical board a deal.

“I told him, ‘If I could prepare for and run a marathon, would that answer the question of my ability to return to subs?’ He accepted my offer. I succeeded and was returned to submarine duty,” Busch said.

He occasionally ran with a cousin, who perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York.

“I subsequently ran six marathons in his honor, and after that, started seeking ways to broaden that practice to honor our military heroes who perished,” Busch said. “I used to have to look at papers to find names, and then contact families to ask if I could do this.”

Then he got involved with the “Running in Honor of Fallen Heroes,” eventually becoming the de facto leader.

“Now people contact me via the group’s Facebook page,” he said.

Busch is also still deeply involved and connected with his Navy and submarine service days, volunteering at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston.

There, he helps tourists gain an understanding of Navy life as they visit the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, destroyer USS Laffey and Coast Guard Cutter Ingham. Another vessel there is the submarine USS Clamagore, on which Busch served before transitioning to nuclear-powered vessels.

The USS Clamagore was commissioned in 1945, and incorporated advances gleaned from German diesel subs at the end of World War II. It was a so-called Guppy III submarine. She is threatened with scrapping or possible sinking due to her deteriorating condition.

“I go in early some days,” Busch said. “I visit her. There are ghosts there.”

Busch said he was invited to run Hills and Hollows by race director Marvin Fisher, who connected him with the Guttmann family to honor John Peter. He plans to arrive in St. Louis Friday before the run.

“I was a little concerned with the cost of flying to St. Louis. It’s too far to drive in one day from Charleston,” Busch said. “And a lady friend from Facebook who lives in the area and is also running in the event offered me use of her frequent flyer miles for the trip and lodging there.”

Whether he is smiling and teaching tourists about the Navy in Charleston, S.C., or honoring military personnel nationwide, who died serving their country by running grueling journeys carrying a large flag, Busch is definitely a national treasure. He is not a competitive runner anymore, but he competes for the sake of and memory of those who have given all.

The 12th annual Melvin J. Fisher Hills and Hollows Half Marathon 5K Event is this Saturday, with registration at 6:30 a.m. The race begins at 8 a.m.  Spectators are encouraged at the starting and finish lines, which are located across from Valmeyer Village Hall.