Press Release: America’s Run for the Fallen Has Nearly Completed its Coast-to-Coast Run to Arlington

America’s Run for the Fallen Has Nearly Completed its Coast-to-Coast Run to Arlington

Runners Crossing North Carolina and Virginia on Way to Arlington

July 23, 2018

On July 23, runners honoring fallen American service members crossed the South Carolina-North Carolina border, marking the beginning of the last two states on their cross-country run to Arlington National Cemetery. America’s Run for the Fallen is organized by Honor and Remember, a veteran and Gold Star Family organization that seeks to individually recognize nearly 20,000 Fallen Service Members since the USS Cole (October 2000). Each mile along the 6,000-mile route from Fort Irwin, California to Arlington National Cemetery, runners pause for a short ceremony to remember by calling each name out loud of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guard and marines killed on a different day since the War on Terror began.

This year, “America’s Run for the Fallen” marks the ten-year-anniversary of the first Run for the Fallen. Never has there been a Fallen Military Tribute on this scale or magnitude. The event has grown both in the number of participants and, sadly, the number of service members honored. By the time the race finishes in August, Gold Star families, veterans, and other supporters from the community will have run 6,000 miles through 19 states on their journey from Fort Irwin, California to Arlington National Cemetery.

The 2018 “America’s Run for the Fallen” began on April 7th in Fort Irwin and has since covered over 4,800 miles. Runners will take nine days to cross North Carolina, entering the state on July 23 near the coast. They will be in North Carolina from July 23 through July 31, passing through Wilmington, Fayetteville, and Jacksonville with a day of rest near Washington, NC. You can view their full schedule here.

On August 1, runners will cross the North Carolina-Virginia border near Norfolk, VA, entering the final stretch of their 6,000-mile run. They will spend five days crossing Virginia on their way north through Norfolk and Newport News before arriving in Arlington on August 5. You can view the full route through Virginia here or the last day of their run here.  

*** Arlington Closing Ceremony Day ***

The public is invited to attend the August 5th, Arlington, VA America's Run for the Fallen Final Day

• 6.1k HERO RUN at Fort Myer in the morning
• 11AM - Brunch Special in Honor of America's Run for the Fallen, on own at: The Board Room in Arlington
• 1:15 PM Old Post Chapel greet the Core Group, walk the final mile together to Section 60.
• 2 PM Closing Ceremonies – Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60.
• 4 PM After-Event Social Gathering at The Board Room in Arlington

For more details and to register for the commemorative 6.1K HERO Run, visit here.

You can read about the history of “America’s Run for the Fallen” here or watch the PSA here.

You can watch the run 7AM – 5PM (time zone of current state) LIVE.

Loved one’s can find the location of their Heroes by visiting Find A Hero, or can add a Hero if their name does not appear at Add Your Hero.

You can get a birds-eye view of “America’s Run for the Fallen,” as well as the Hero Mile Marker Ceremony (occurs every mile, 50 times per day) here.

Honor and Remember is a nationally recognized non-profit organization which aims to “honor and remember every American fallen service member and recognize the enduring sacrifice of every family.” You can find out more here. 

 

Image Source: Pixabay Arlington National Cemetery Image 1, Image 2

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Press Release: Shocking Military Suicide Rates and Identifying the Signs

Shocking Military Suicide Rates and Identifying the Signs

EOD Warrior Foundation offers suicide prevention tips, works to help prevent suicide

NICEVILLE, Florida – (September 5, 2017) – September is National Suicide Prevention Month, which makes it an important time to move the conversation about suicide forward. While suicide is a national problem, it is one that also affects smaller communities, including the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community.  These brave men and women have suffered losses not only on the battlefield, but from suicide in recent years.  According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, each day there are around 20 veterans who commit suicide. What’s more, they report that veterans’ suicides account for 18% of the suicide deaths in the country, while they only make up 8.5% of the adult population.

“There’s clearly a serious issue with suicides among active duty military service members, veterans and their families, and it’s one that we are passionate about addressing,” explains Nicole Motsek, executive director of the EOD Warrior Foundation. “Only when people are aware of what is going on can they begin to affect change.”

Suicide is a major concern with veterans and active duty military members. It’s especially shocking when viewing the suicide rates of active duty Army members. According to a research report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal, the Army suicide rate increased 80% from 2004 to 2008. While the Army may have the most shocking suicide statistics, but no branch of the military is immune to the crisis. Among EOD technicians, suicide is considered to be at a crisis level. It’s an issue that the EOD Warrior Foundation is tackling and hoping to help change.

Suicide among EOD technicians is an issue that organizations such as the EOD Warrior Foundation are trying to not only raise awareness about, but are trying to help prevent. They are currently working with Dr. Kelly Posner Gerstenhaber, of Columbia University. Dr. Gerstenhaber is the director of The Columbia Lighthouse Project, and has dedicated her life to saving others from suicide, as well as removing the stigma around the issue.  She created the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and has shown that this is a critical tool in preventing suicide. We must identify to find those suffering in silence.

Those who suspect someone they know may be considering suicide should seek immediate professional assistance. The C-SSRS supports suicide risk assessment through a series of simple, plain-language questions that anyone can ask. The answers help users identify whether someone is at risk for suicide, assess the severity and immediacy of that risk, and gauge the level of support that the person needs. Users of the C-SSRS tool ask people:

• Whether and when they have thought about suicide (ideation)
• What actions they have taken — and when — to prepare for suicide
• Whether and when they attempted suicide or began a suicide attempt that was either interrupted by another person or stopped of their own volition

“The suicide rate for our veterans and active duty is around 50% higher than for their civilian counterparts, showing what a serious issue we have on our hands,” says Dr. Gerstenhaber. “This group of people have a tremendous amount of stress and they need to know it’s not a sign of weakness to seek help. We have programs in place that have been successful at helping to reduce the suicide rates, and we want to expand those to help others around the nation.”

These are questions everyone must ask.  In order to continue working to eradicate suicide, we all must go beyond the medical model, and this is what the Dr. Gerstenhaber and the EOD Warrior Foundation are working together to do in the EOD community.

The EOD Warrior Foundation is an organization that helps the families of the 7,000 people in our military who are Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, and perform bomb disposal duties. Engaging in the most dangerous job in the military, EOD technicians often sustain serious injuries, lose limbs, or are killed in action. The EOD Warrior Foundation helps this elite group by providing financial relief, therapeutic healing retreats, a scholarship program, care of the EOD Memorial Wall located at Eglin AFB, Fla. and more. Their work is supported by private donations and the generosity of those who support the organization.  To learn more about the EOD Warrior Foundation, or see their fundraising events calendar, visit their site at: www.eodwarriorfoundation.org.

About EOD Warrior Foundation

The EOD Warrior Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help EOD warriors and their family members with a priority on wounded EOD warriors and the families of fallen EOD warriors. Specific programs include financial relief, college scholarships, hope and wellness programs that include therapeutic healing retreats, and care for the EOD Memorial Wall located at Eglin AFB, Fla. To learn more about the EOD Warrior Foundation, or see their events calendar, visit their site at: www.eodwarriorfoundation.org.

Veteran's Memorial - Wharton, Texas ©2014-2017 Suzanne G. McClendon

 Military Honor Guard Image Source: Pixabay


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Book Review: The Bravest Guy By Harry E. Wedewer

The Bravest Guy

By Harry E. Wedewer

Before we begin, we first must explain our rating system. Our blogs are Christian-based.  We are fundamentalist and charismatic Christians.  We believe that when the Bible says in Exodus 20:7 not to take the Lord’s name in vain, that means not to use it as a curse word.

We instruct authors and publicists not to send us their books if the Lord’s name is used in vain in the book.  This is specifically mentioned in our review policy.  Like it or not, if a book contains God’s name used in this way, we mark the book down to a complete zero when this happens even once in the book.  From that point, the book has to fight to make its way up to a one.

The Bravest Guy by Harry E. Wedewer uses God’s name in vain at least four times. It is on pages 29, 49, 81, and 114.  This takes the rating down to a zero.  Let’s see what happens after that.

This book is NOT Christian friendly.  The author uses quite a few profane words throughout the book  There is no real reason for it when other words would do.

However, The Bravest Guy is a story that needs to be told. Other than the profanity, it is very well-written.  Mr. Wedewer, the author, is telling his father’s story in a way that no one else could.

We are given the family story of how they got here in the United States of America and how his family had left Germany because they were tired of the endless wars.  We see that, when it came time to serve in the military, this whole family answered the call in their own way.

The reader is given a glimpse of how really messed up our military health care system is and how it has been since at least World War II.   We even see where a man who has had both legs blown off, along with one eye and had the second eye damaged, is not even given a toothbrush when he asks for it.

The Bravest Guy is a book that one just can’t put down.  We actually read it in one afternoon.  It is very entertaining.  Mr. Wedewer paints a word picture in such a way as to have his readers sucked in.  We see how wonderful humanity can be and how terrible they can be as well.

Even with the Lord’s name used in vain, we feel compelled to give this book all five stars. The book is that well-written and the story is one that needs to be told. 

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30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Colossians 3:15

Every day, be sure to tell somebody thank you.
-Unknown-

What are you thankful for today?

I am thankful for freedom and for the veterans and active duty servicemen who have risked all to keep this country free.

Our Marine ©2015 Suzanne G. McClendon

                                            

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Happy Independence Day, America!

I want to wish all of my fellow Americans a very happy and safe Independence Day!

Remember what got us here. Thank a veteran!