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thedrifter
06-25-07, 06:18 AM
They run for Jimenez, other missing troops

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | June 25, 2007

Every year, the runners wear the names of Massachusetts men who served in Vietnam and were prisoners of war or declared missing in action.

Their aim for the last 24 years has been to remind the public of the dozens of veterans who never came home and whose bodies were never found.

This year, organizers of the POW-MIA Race and Walk for Freedom added a new name from another war: Army Specialist Alex R. Jimenez, the 25-year-old Lawrence soldier who has been missing since May, when his unit was ambushed by Sunni insurgents in Iraq.

On their tank tops and T-shirts, runners in yesterday's 5-mile race affixed red ribbons with the name Jimenez scrawled in black.

Dozens of ribbons were made up for the 40 military personnel lost in the Vietnam War, so they would be represented in the race. But organizers made up 60 ribbons for Jimenez, knowing that many runners would want to carry his name on the route through South Boston.

"I've been thinking a lot about him," said John Hurley, 61, of Dorchester. "I think about him and his family, and it tears me apart, because I know what my mother went through."

Hurley served in the Army in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971, after his younger brother came back from his tour of duty in 1968. After the race yesterday, Hurley, who placed first among Vietnam veterans, stood under a sunny sky in the parking lot behind the Bayside Exposition Center and recalled how his mother agonized every day that his brother was away.

"You could feel the tension," he said. "You were on pins and needles wondering if officers are going to come to your door."

Many of yesterday's runners were veterans of Vietnam. Some were sons, daughters, and brothers of men and women who served in Vietnam, World War II, and other wars. Others were racing enthusiasts out to beat a personal record.

Many spoke about the importance of remembering missing soldiers, airmen, and Marines, but several lamented the small turnout at the race. More than 200 runners participated yesterday, compared with the nearly 800 the race used to attract. On the sidelines, a few dozens relatives and friends cheered the returning athletes who unwound after the race with cups of beer and hot dogs.

Some blamed competing road races for the low turnout. Others said the unpopularity of the Iraq war might be keeping away runners who do not want to be reminded of the conflict.

"A lot of young people don't care for it, so they're not going to become invested in a cause around it," said Jillian Wickman, 19, of Southborough, who has been running in the race since she was 13. Wickman, whose father served in the Air Force and whose uncle served in the Army, said none of her friends have volunteered to run with her.

"They say, 'Oh, it's such a nice idea,' but I've never done it with a friend," she said. Wickman plans to continue to support the race, but she said she is worried the numbers of participants will keep dwindling. "I run in other road races, and they're always packed," she said. "You see breast cancer runs and other women's walks, and there are roadblocks everywhere. With this one, you could reopen the road halfway through."

Many runners said they will urge their friends to come to next year's race, said organizer Maureen Dunn, whose husband, Joseph, a Navy lieutenant, was never found after his plane was shot down over the South China Sea during the Vietnam War.

"Everyone should have supported this issue today," she said, particularly in light of Jimenez. Dunn said Jimenez's family must continue to remind the public of his status. "I would say to keep the name out there, to not let people forget his name," she said. "They're so easily forgotten. That's the thing I'm so afraid of."

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.

Ellie