thedrifter
08-24-09, 07:28 AM
August 23, 2009
Relay wraps up in Holmdel, demonstrating enormity of lives lost in wars
Each mile honors those killed in Iraq, Afghanistan
By JIM McCONVILLE
STAFF WRITER
Nearly every mile posted on a 140-mile, two-day marathon from Cape May to Holmdel represented one of 134 servicemen and women who have died in combat during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The brainchild of Master Sgt. Bubba Beason, the Run for the Fallen marathon was designed to raise awareness of soldiers killed in battle and money for the New Jersey chapter of American Gold Star Mothers Inc., whose members are women who have lost a son or daughter serving in the military.
In addition to Beason, 24 other volunteer runners contributed, running 6.2 miles to hand off the an American flag and sign a card to the next runner.
The runners consisted of active-duty and reserve airmen and soldiers from McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix in Burlington County.
Cape May was the starting point Saturday morning. The final destination: the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial at PNC Bank Arts Center, here, where the runners were greeted by soldiers, Marines and Gold Star Moms.
At the final relay leg — West Front Street Park in Red Bank — the group picked up a handful of volunteer runners who ran the final five miles to the memorial.
Roughly two dozen motorcycle riders and members of Warriors' Watch, the self-described national coalition of troop support groups, who had served as a motorcade escort for the entire two-day run, arrived first.
As the first group of runners marched up to the finish line at 2:52 p.m., a 25-foot American flag draped between two hook and ladder fire trucks, the skies opened up with a heavy sun shower that lasted 20 minutes.
Roughly 300 people congregated in front of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial for a 40-minute ceremony highlighted by the reading of the 134 soldiers' names and a presentation of a $116,000 check by Beason to Judith Tapper, president of the state's Gold Star Mothers.
"This is an extraordinary display of people in New Jersey coming together for an extraordinary event," said Elyse A. Buongiorno, president of Eagles Up, a nonprofit organization that provides help for soldiers and their families.
Buongiorno, whose father served as a Marine gunnery sergeant during the Vietnam War, displayed a collage of fallen soldiers from the Iraq War that she either knew or whose families she had met in her travels.
Two hours before the runners arrived, family members and friends had filled the dozen wooden picnic tables outside the memorial and waited for the ceremony.
Beason, 36, a native of Little Rock, Ark., based at McGuire Air Force base, said he came up with the idea for the Run for the Fallen fundraiser in January after returning from a trip to Kentucky.
At first, people were skeptical, Beason said.
"People told me that I was crazy," Beason admitted.
Undaunted, Beason persevered, crafting a Web site — www.njrunforthefallen.org — and soliciting anyone who would listen.
Within a few months, Beason had secured enough commitments to make Run for the Fallen a reality.
"They ran through monsoon rains in Cape May and humidity along Route 9 so thick you could cut it with a knife, and they still hacked it," said Beason in thanking his fellow runners in arms.
Beason also thanked all the groups that helped support the marathon and paid tribute to his father.
"My father told me that some day I would find an idea and I would need to run with it," Beason said. "That's exactly what I did — I ran with it."
Additional Facts
AT A GLANCE
A team of 24 runners made up of airmen and soldiers from McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix ran from Cape May to Holmdel this weekend to raise awareness about the 134 New Jersey servicemen and women who have been killed in action during the Iraq War.
In addition, the New Jersey Run for the Fallen raised $16,000 for the state chapter of American Gold Star Mothers Inc.
Visit www.njrunforthefallen.org for more information or to contribute to the organization.
Ellie
Relay wraps up in Holmdel, demonstrating enormity of lives lost in wars
Each mile honors those killed in Iraq, Afghanistan
By JIM McCONVILLE
STAFF WRITER
Nearly every mile posted on a 140-mile, two-day marathon from Cape May to Holmdel represented one of 134 servicemen and women who have died in combat during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The brainchild of Master Sgt. Bubba Beason, the Run for the Fallen marathon was designed to raise awareness of soldiers killed in battle and money for the New Jersey chapter of American Gold Star Mothers Inc., whose members are women who have lost a son or daughter serving in the military.
In addition to Beason, 24 other volunteer runners contributed, running 6.2 miles to hand off the an American flag and sign a card to the next runner.
The runners consisted of active-duty and reserve airmen and soldiers from McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix in Burlington County.
Cape May was the starting point Saturday morning. The final destination: the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial at PNC Bank Arts Center, here, where the runners were greeted by soldiers, Marines and Gold Star Moms.
At the final relay leg — West Front Street Park in Red Bank — the group picked up a handful of volunteer runners who ran the final five miles to the memorial.
Roughly two dozen motorcycle riders and members of Warriors' Watch, the self-described national coalition of troop support groups, who had served as a motorcade escort for the entire two-day run, arrived first.
As the first group of runners marched up to the finish line at 2:52 p.m., a 25-foot American flag draped between two hook and ladder fire trucks, the skies opened up with a heavy sun shower that lasted 20 minutes.
Roughly 300 people congregated in front of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial for a 40-minute ceremony highlighted by the reading of the 134 soldiers' names and a presentation of a $116,000 check by Beason to Judith Tapper, president of the state's Gold Star Mothers.
"This is an extraordinary display of people in New Jersey coming together for an extraordinary event," said Elyse A. Buongiorno, president of Eagles Up, a nonprofit organization that provides help for soldiers and their families.
Buongiorno, whose father served as a Marine gunnery sergeant during the Vietnam War, displayed a collage of fallen soldiers from the Iraq War that she either knew or whose families she had met in her travels.
Two hours before the runners arrived, family members and friends had filled the dozen wooden picnic tables outside the memorial and waited for the ceremony.
Beason, 36, a native of Little Rock, Ark., based at McGuire Air Force base, said he came up with the idea for the Run for the Fallen fundraiser in January after returning from a trip to Kentucky.
At first, people were skeptical, Beason said.
"People told me that I was crazy," Beason admitted.
Undaunted, Beason persevered, crafting a Web site — www.njrunforthefallen.org — and soliciting anyone who would listen.
Within a few months, Beason had secured enough commitments to make Run for the Fallen a reality.
"They ran through monsoon rains in Cape May and humidity along Route 9 so thick you could cut it with a knife, and they still hacked it," said Beason in thanking his fellow runners in arms.
Beason also thanked all the groups that helped support the marathon and paid tribute to his father.
"My father told me that some day I would find an idea and I would need to run with it," Beason said. "That's exactly what I did — I ran with it."
Additional Facts
AT A GLANCE
A team of 24 runners made up of airmen and soldiers from McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix ran from Cape May to Holmdel this weekend to raise awareness about the 134 New Jersey servicemen and women who have been killed in action during the Iraq War.
In addition, the New Jersey Run for the Fallen raised $16,000 for the state chapter of American Gold Star Mothers Inc.
Visit www.njrunforthefallen.org for more information or to contribute to the organization.
Ellie