1st Sgt. Glen Franklin, left, awards Lt. Col. James Burns following a 5K run for cancer awareness Wednesday at Camp Red Cloud. Franklin was diagnosed with cancer about two weeks ago and since then has strongly encouraged soldiers to take their yearly physicals. (Erik Slavin / Stars and Stripes)
CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea — Two weeks ago, 1st Sgt. Glen Franklin found out his sore throat and chest discomfort were being caused by a thyroid tumor pressing against his lung.
Franklin, 43, will fly to Fort Campbell, Ky., in a couple of weeks, where he will undergo cancer surgery.
In the meantime, Franklin has turned his illness into a rallying cry that already may have helped another soldier avoid cancer.
On Wednesday at Camp Red Cloud, hundreds of soldiers participated in a 5-kilometer race to promote cancer awareness and remind soldiers of the importance of the Army’s annual physical examinations.
The Army requires the annual doctor’s visit. However, Franklin said, some soldiers blow it off.
"I don’t know how I got [cancer]," he said. "And if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody."
Franklin’s diagnosis has garnered attention throughout the 2nd Infantry Division, where his assignments have included the Warrior Readiness Center and the headquarters company during the past three years.
"I was shocked, because he’s really, really healthy," said Pfc. Latrina Spann, who worked with Franklin at the readiness center.
Despite the diagnosis, Franklin is trying to stay motivated. He keeps himself in top shape, and following his surgery he wants to run a marathon and has no intentions of ending his 23-year Army career anytime soon, he said.
"I always meet challenges head-on," Franklin said. "And it’s like I told my soldiers: I’ll do the same with cancer."
The diagnosis also has challenged fellow soldiers to inventory their own health. Soon after hearing about Franklin’s cancer, Pfc. Candice Webber, 22, who worked with Franklin at division headquarters, went in for a physical and doctors found a lump on her body. Although they don’t know yet if it’s malignant, Webber is scheduled to have the lump removed shortly.
Franklin was all smiles Wednesday as he congratulated winners of the 5K race. But privately, he said, he admits to some tough days.
His wife, who’s in Afghanistan, got the news over the phone.
Fortunately for Franklin, many types of thyroid cancer can be removed successfully with surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic’s Web site.
Early detection improves prospects of a full recovery, according to the clinic.
Symptoms can include a lump just below the Adam’s apple; hoarseness and difficulty swallowing; swollen lymph nodes in the neck; and pain in the neck or throat, sometimes spreading to the ears.
For now, Franklin said, he is trying to stay positive. Even if everything goes according to plan, cancer has made a lasting impact on his life.
"I’d like to be more or less a spokesman for people who have cancer and for those who have won," Franklin said.
Fastest times
The following runners earned the fastest times in the Fight Cancer Tonight 5K race at Camp Red Cloud on Wednesday:
MenAge 29 and under1st Lt. Jason Kowrach, 21:00Spc. Jacob Hrow, 21:29Age 30 to 39Warrant Officer Walner Nelson, 22:382nd Lt. Christopher Borek, 22:50
Age 40 and overChi O-sik, 23:13Lt. Col. James Burns, 25:05
WomenAge 25 and underSpc. Eliza Balisacan, 24:40Pfc. Ericka Law, 25:20
Age 26 to 35Sgt. Erin Sims, 29:51Capt. Tarnesha Covington-Seal, 31:57
Age 36 and overMaster Sgt. Pamela Rivera, 30:48Staff Sgt. Donna Barrington-Durham, 31:02
