Run for the Fallen

Each day, we will randomly highlight one service member’s life, and include links and stories. We choose to never forget, and this is our way, before the run, to remember our fallen service members.

Army Spc. Ebe Emolo was born in Ivory Coast. He lived his teenage and young adult years in France. And after immigrating to the United States in 1999, Ebe Emolo wanted to gain citizenship — then serve his new country in the U.S. Army.

Emolo, 33, a onetime security officer for Women’s Hospital in Greensboro, was killed in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq. He is survived locally by his sister, his wife and his young stepson. “He was just a real class-act guy,” said Craig Shaw, a fellow security officer, who said Emolo encouraged him during his studies at N.C. A&T. “He would go out of his way to help people, whether staff, patients or visitors.”

Though news of his sudden death stunned the hospital staff, former co-workers shared memories Wednesday of their beloved colleague. Two things stand out: Emolo was a man quick to smile who viewed his sister as a best friend and a man who took pride in his new American citizenship.

Information for this story was acquired from the News & Record.

We will run for Ebe on August 8, 2008 outside Clinton, Tennessee.

Additional links where you may learn more about Ebe.
Faces of the Fallen
In Remembrance
News & Record

Each day, we will randomly highlight one service member’s life, and include links and stories. We choose to never forget, and this is our way, before the run, to remember our fallen service members.

Kyle W. Burns was a die-hard sports fan. “He was one of the kids that went out there when it was 40 below zero and painted the letters on his chest,” said his father, Robert Burns. The Marine’s mother, Jocelyn, called her son “a good ol’ boy.” Burns, 20, of Laramie, Wyo., died Nov. 11 in a hostile attack in Anbar province. He was based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Burns loved hockey, played soccer and baseball in high school and was a big supporter of the football team. His father started taking him fishing while he was still in diapers.

Friends described him as a fun-loving practical joker. “He was a child who would push the envelope all the time,” said Andy Mitich, a longtime friend of the Burns family. “If you made a mark and said, ‘Don’t cross this line,’ he would have one foot on the left side and one foot on the right side.” Burns favorite joke was: “Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven ate nine.” After graduating from high school in 2002, he joined the Marines despite protests from his mother. “He just said, ‘Mom, it’s what I want to do. It’s what I’ve got to do,” said his uncle, George Elsom.

Information for this story was acquired from In Remembrance.

We will run for Kyle on July 4, 2008 outside Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Additional links where you may learn more about Kyle.
Faces of the Fallen

Each day, we will randomly highlight one service member’s life, and include links and stories. We choose to never forget, and this is our way, before the run, to remember our fallen service members.

Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse enlisted shortly after graduating from Waterford (Conn.) High School in 1999 over the objections of his mother, Tan Patchem. “He understood it was dangerous, and he was proud of doing it,” she said. Chanawongse died after his unit came under attack while attempting to secure a bridge. He had been listed as missing until April 16. Chanawongse, who came to the United States from Thailand at age 9, played youth soccer and planned from a young age to join the military. His grandfather is a veteran of the Thai air force. He was known to members of his unit as “Chuckles” for his sense of humor, and one friend said the avid snowboarder was talkative and outgoing: “Every time you turn around, he’s gone talking to somebody,” said Steve Cava, 22. But he also had a strong sense of duty, his parents said, and had a Marines tattoo on his arm: “U.S. Marine, made in Parris Island.” “He did it without fear and without delay, even one minute,” said his stepfather, Paul Patchem.

Information for this story was acquired from In Remembrance.

We will run for Ahn on June 15, 2008 outside Big Bear Lake, California.

Additional links where you may learn more about Ahn.
Faces of the Fallen

Each day, we will randomly highlight one service member’s life, and include links and stories. We choose to never forget, and this is our way, before the run, to remember our fallen service members.

Growing up, Michael A. McGlothin was the skinny kid with big glasses who always worked hard at school. “That kid couldn’t cast a shadow,” his uncle, Kenneth McGlothin, said. “He’s built like a shoelace.” Spc. McGlothin, 21, of Milwaukee, died April 17 when an explosive went off near his patrol in Baghdad. He was based at Fort Hood, Texas. The skinny kid grew into an energetic teenager who loved music. He played the guitar in a garage band and was learning how to play the banjo, an instrument his grandfather played. He wanted to go to college after his military service to become a producer in the record industry. He decided to join the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and went on active duty in January 2002 after serving in the Army Reserve. Michael McGlothin was born in Hartford and raised in Friess Lake and Milwaukee. (Source: Associated Press)

We will run for Michael on June 26, 2008 outside Clarkdale, Arizona.

Additional links where you may learn more about Michael.
Faces of the Fallen
In Remembrance

Each day, we will randomly highlight one service member’s life, and include links and stories. We choose to never forget, and this is our way, before the run, to remember our fallen service members.

Gregory B. Rundell, 21, was serving as a Specialist for the Army when he was killed by enemy sniper fire while manning a guard tower in Iraq.

A 2004 graduate of North St. Paul High School, Rundell was “a unique spirit” who told his mother serving in Iraq would be excellent training for his goal of becoming a police officer. “Please don’t shed a tear for me,” he wrote. “Don’t worry. I don’t want tears of loss, but tears of happiness for what I was able to do.”

“If you want a good life, you gotta sacrifice more of your soul and body. If you want a extraordinary life you must sacrifice everything just to get a little bit of heaven.”

Joanne Richardson said her son did just that.

“He is a hero in my heart and life,” she said. “I stand tall and brave because my son stood tall and brave.”

About 70 people with strong Minnesota ties have died in connection with Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

Information for this story was acquired from the Star Tribune.

Additional links where you may learn more about Gregory.
Faces of the Fallen
In Remembrance