Run for the Fallen

Taken from an article in Utica, NY’s Observer Dispatch newspaper

By ANNE DELANEY

Observer-Dispatch

Posted Aug 13, 2009 @ 12:51 AM

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Jeannine Olney had to do something.If she’d made different decisions years ago, the Westernville woman would’ve followed her father into the U.S. Air Force or joined the reserves.She didn’t, though, choosing instead to stay on the path of practicality. Her job as a nurse was demanding enough, and taking more time away from her three children wasn’t the right move.

In March 2008, when Army Sgt. Christopher Simpson was killed in his second tour in Iraq the young man’s death “hit home” for Olney. She knew Simpson, who was 23 and a friend of her children. She knew his fiancée, Carol Fries.

Last year, when Hamilton College graduate Jon Bellona organized a nationwide Run for the Fallen to honor his college roommate, Olney found her calling for the “military running through my blood.”

Bellona’s idea, one mile for every service member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, was perfectly matched for Olney, a member of the Roman Runners running club.

“I cry when they play the national anthem,” she said.

Olney organized a local Run for the Fallen at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in memory of Simpson and six other area military members who were killed.

“We never thought it would happen because he had been there and he came home,” Olney said of Simpson. “He was supposed to get out of the Army and he had to go back to Iraq and he didn’t come home. It was something.”

The second run will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at Griffiss and will honor 11 local military members killed in service. Walkers are welcome, and the athletes can go further than the mile. Registration is at 8 a.m. and the run will start and end at the B-52 site on Perimeter Road near DeLutis Field.

The run/walk will also honor:

• Army Pfc. Gregory P. Huxley Jr..
• Army Capt. George Wood.
• Army National Guard Sgt. Michael Uvanni.
• Marine Sgt. Elisha R. Parker.
• Army Cpl. John Sigsbee.
• Navy Petty Officer First Class Alec Mazur.
• Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel J. Geary.
• Marine Cpl. Blaise A. Oleski.
• Army Cpl. Michael Mayne.
• Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Lasher.

Olney said the families of at least three military members will be at the run, including the Uvanni family of Rome. Olney went to RFA with Uvanni’s father, Kevin.

Olney, 52, started running when she was 40. She was a serious, competitive runner for a while. She’s scaled back her intensity level and the sport is a bond that runs through the Olney family. Jeannine, her husband, Mark, sons Josh and Austin and daughter Andrea, all ran last month’s Boilermaker for the seventh time.
“We have a spot where we meet with a bunch of friends,” Jeannine said.

About 200 people – runners, walkers and some with dogs and strollers – participated in the Run for the Fallen last year. Olney has no idea how many will show up next week. The run’s informal structure, but serious purpose, does not require its organizer to get timers, trophies or to keep a meticulous to-do list needed for putting together competitive race.

“You do a little running around but it’s nothing compared to a mother losing her child,” Olney said.

Even the national anthem last year was done on-the-spot. The person scheduled to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” didn’t show.

“So we all sang it and we’ll probably do that this year,” Olney said.

Inspired by the sacrifice of military men and women whose lives were lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Austin-based 501 (c) 3 organization, OPERATION HONOR OUR HEORES, was formed to assist wounded warriors and veterans and their families. To accomplish the organization’s mission, a team of runners will embark on a cross country run this May to honor every Texas fallen service member, all wounded service members, and all of the men and women in the United States Armed Forces.

The Lone Star Trail of Heroes: Run Across Texas will begin in Amarillo on May 17 at the Panhandle War Memorial and will cover over 400 miles before finishing in Austin on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009. Cities included in the Run include Amarillo, Childress, Quanah, Vernon, Wichita Falls, Gainesville, Ft.Worth, Hillsboro, Abbott, Waco, Temple, Belton, Killeen, Salado, Georgetown, Round Rock, Austin.

Runners will mark every mile of their journey with a United States flag, a photo, and a biographical card in honor of every fallen service member. The dedication markers are being made by students and JROTC cadets at Tascosa High School in Amarillo, Marcus High School in Flower Mound, the Leander I.S.D.(Cedar Park, Leander, Vista Ridge, Rouse High Schools) and Bowie High School in Austin will create a symbolic memorial trail across Texas.

This Run will be a living memorial that the runners hope can be continued from year to year and from city to city in Texas. While each flag will represent a soldier who has fallen, the run will represent all men and women of the United States military. In particular, this journey will honor all wounded warriors and veterans and their families. For Every Fallen Hero there are Eight Wounded Heroes.

The team will be asking individuals and businesses across Texas to donate one dollar for each mile that the runners cover on their way from Amarillo to Austin. All funds raised by the Run will be donated to wounded warriors and veterans and their families.

For more information on Operation Honor Our Heroes visit www.honorheroes.org. Specific information regarding the Run can be found at www.lonestartrailofheroes.org.

At the end of the cross-country remembrance run, Run for the Fallen, in 2008 there was a call for individuals and communities alike to run/walk one mile in honor of a fallen service member. No one truly knew how our request would be answered. Emails were sent back and forth, a laundry list of participants and runs placed on an event page, individuals built and drove local support, and then the final day of the run came…
and the clarion call was answered.

On August 24, 2008 runners from around the world joined Run for the Fallen in remembering our fallen service members. Over 9,000 participants ran over 35,000 miles in remembrance of those fallen in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The multitude of meaningful events worldwide caused us to step back. We were in awe. There were so many individuals remembering service members in their own special way. There were so many events that brought towns, communities, and even families together. The final day of Run for the Fallen was not led by one person or one team, but by a myriad of individuals and communities scattered across the globe. The heart of remembrance ran deep.

This is why, this year, we are continuing that call. While we will not be running across America this summer, we still run in honor of service members killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. On the weekend of August 22/23, 2009 we encourage anyone, wherever they are, to go out and run/walk one mile in remembrance of a fallen service member.

Our event page, Run for the Fallen 2009, contains state by state listings (and if need be, countries), of runs being organized by individuals in their own communities. Here, you can find out if a run is being organized near you. And, if you can’t find one and want to participate, make sure to let us know. Feel free to peruse the website and blog for information about organizing an event in your own community, and if you ever have any questions or need some more information, we would be happy to continue the discussion with you.

Remembrance isn’t just a one time thing. The act of remembrance is continued remembering, whether its a private or shared experience, and we encourage you to remember in own special way.

From a quick glance, there were more than 250 runs organized across the globe, all running with one purpose in mind: to Run for the Fallen. While we are still tallying the total miles of remembrance runs, the combined mileage of two noteworthy events at Fort Leonard Wood in MO and Camp Victory in Baghdad was over 10,000 miles. Over the next several weeks, we will update the final event page, complete with state by state event listings, weblinks, and mileage totals.

Interested in upcoming events?
The Seven Stars Foundation is hosting a 5k and 10k run in honor of 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker on Sept. 27 in Big Bear Lake, CA at Snow Summit. We’ll keep you posted on this run as well as other events by organizations honoring our fallen.

The runners are in the midst of unpacking vehicles, returning to hometowns, and one by one, punching the timecards back at work. Please be patient as we answer emails, respond to questions, write our thank yous, tally the miles from the 24th, and update pictures & website.

We cannot thank everyone enough who made this run possible. From the Buster Crutcher’s who opened up their doors to our runners, to the George Nelson & Cynthia Lager’s who came out to run with us, to the Jeannette Rosa’s who drove all the way from GA to run her son’s mile, we are still constantly amazed by the wonderful openness of your hearts; we have renewed faith in our America.

There is so much to say, and almost all of it teeters on the brink of language. We will never forget, our brave men & women, their sacrifice, is stamped upon our hearts forever. Because of your help, we were able to run this summer. Because of your help, we were able to bring communities and towns together. We were, together, able to honor and remember. We are in awe of you, and for that we say, “Thank You.”