Never forget ... "Run for the Fallen"

I recently posted about Run for the Fallen and the locations of flags remembering and honoring the three young Marines from Augusta County who were killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Today I received the following from fellow SWAC blogger Bob over at The Journey:

Lynn -- Thank you for mentioning Run for the Fallen. I was coming back from hiking in Shenandoah last summer when I came upon the memorial at the top of the pass. I read the names and cried a bit. Please feel free to use this photo of the flags. I thought it was a beautiful tribute to some beautiful lives. -- Bob

On August 13, 2008, Bob posted about finding the American flags:

Today's Heroes
Modern Soldiers Deserve Our Respect and Admiration

Having given up on the mainstream media before the surge, I suppose this is old news to some, but I found this group, Veterans for Freedom, a breath of fresh air. Their mission is simply to make sure the real story gets told. Indeed there is plenty of heroic good to report and I think it is a shame that the press goes silent when there is progress.

Perhaps it is just the "bad news sells papers" phenomenom but the young men and women who put themselves in harm's way deserve better from a free press that thrives in a free nation who owes that freedom to the sacrifice of such men and women.

So stop by their Website and learn more about their mission.

I agree with Bob ... we can never repay our military for the freedom we enjoy due to their service to country. The very least we can do is recognize them, thank them ... and never forget.

Photo by Bob K.

"To Them That's Gone" ... run for the fallen -- UPDATED

"In the summer of 2008 a small group of civilians ran 4,000 miles across America." And so begins the story of those who ran for the fallen ... one mile for each American military member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom ... a journey that began at Fort Irwin, CA, and ended at Arlington National Cemetery.

They called their group "Run for the Fallen" ... and it has now been made into a documentary called "For Them That's Gone."

I was notified of this by Carol who let me know about the memorial run for local fallen Marine, Daniel Morris, who was killed Februry 14, 2007. Carol wrote:

"Since the flags were placed for the soldiers in the order killed, Daniel's flag was placed on Day 52 of the run, on August 5th, 2008. He was flag # 3134, about 13 miles outside of McMinnville, TN. That day, they started in Murfreesboro, TN & stopped in McMinnville, TN."

She also found the flag for local fallen Marine Jason Redifer:

He was honored with a flag and card on Day 24 of the run, on July 8th, between Weston, CO, to Route 160/389 Junction, CO. His was put 18 miles from the Junction."

I've been to that part of Colorado ... what a beautiful area of the country.

Daniel Bubb, a third young Marine from Augusta County, was killed in Iraq. Carol wrote:

Daniel Bubb was honored on Day 33 of the run, July 17, 2008. He was flag #1979, the 29th placed that day, about midway between Hopeton, OK, and Medford, OK, -- the route that day.

She also added something else that I wanted to share:

I think what the RFTF people and this run did, should be shared as much as possible. There is so much out there that's done in a negative way, and this was so obviously positive. This run was done with respect, integrity, compassion & honest emotion from the beginning of the idea to the end at Arlington National Cemetery ... and that sort of behavior should get more coverage then the "people" that yelled, "You suck, impeach Bush," at the Citizenship Ceremony at Monticello. We all have opinions but there's a time and place.

I don't know Carol. She is someone who reads my blog and who contacted me with this information. I am grateful to her for passing it along, and I certainly agree with her sentiments.

An additional note is a Texas member of the Run for the Fallen team will be doing a similar run across Texas in May to honor fallen Texans. If anyone is interested in that run, email and I will put you in touch.

God bless our military, our fallen heroes, our veterans, and our military families.

H/T to Carol