Community Corner
A Local Way To Honor The Fallen
The Run For The Fallen will pass through Point Pleasant Beach and end in Holmdel
Sept. 11, 2001, was a day that drastically changed many of our lives. Now there is a local way to honor those who passed: The Run for the Fallen.
The event, which will begin at Saturday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 a.m., is a two-day 152-mile run of active duty military runners that starts in Cape May and ends Sunday in Holmdel at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.
The purpose of this run is to honor and remember each soldier who gave their life in a war. At each mile marker, a New Jersey hero will be honored by the run team stopping for a one-minute service and prayer, and then presenting a flag and personalized bio to the hero's family and friends.
Saturday's run will be to honor lives lost in Operarition Iraqi Freedom. But on Sunday, Sept. 25, the runners will stop in Point Pleasant to also take the much deserved time to honor other beloved soldiers lost in wars such as Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield and Beirut and Lebanon.
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From there, the run will head north and end at the PNC Arts Center where a beautiful remembrance and dedication ceremony will take place.
The exact route can be found here: njrunforthefallen.org. It would be wonderful for anyone to come anywhere along the route to cheer on these runners and to see the flags presented to the fallen soldiers families.
Some of us were touched directly with a horrifc loss on Sept. 11 of a family member or friend, and some of us were touched later by the loss of a brave soldier sent overseas to fight for our country.
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I have been lucky enough not to have lost anyone, but these awful stories have broken my heart over and over. What makes it even more sad to me are all the past wars and soldiers who have given their lives way before Sept. 11.
Just too many young lives were taken way too soon. I can't imagine how these families go on with their lives, but obviously they have no choice but to do just that - which is why so many of them choose to honor their lost loved ones in many ways.
We all need to remember just how lucky we are to live in a country as wonderful as we do.
May all of those brave, heroic fallen soldiers rest in peace forever.
And God bless America, please.
