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“Run for the Fallen” begins 250 mile journey Thursday

Posted at 6:00 AM, May 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-04 12:42:55-04

FORT MONROE, Va. - The fifth annual "Run for the Fallen" honors and remembers Virginia military service members who died as a result of serving during the War on Terror.

Thursday, a relay team takes off from Fort Story to cover a 250-mile journey to the Arlington National Cemetery.

Each mile is dedicated to a fallen service member.
Beginning in 2013 Honor and Remember Inc. established the Virginia Run for the Fallen to call attention to and honor the men and women who have recently died in military service to America.

A team of more than 30 active duty military members from bases throughout Virginia and other locations across the U.S. will embark on a 250 plus-mile journey to honor every Virginia service member who died as a result of serving during the War on Terror and in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

Each mile of the route will be dedicated to an individual Virginia hero and his or her family.

The run team will stop at each “Hero Marker” HM (each mile marker) to give individual tribute to waiting Gold Star family members, friends and comrades.

The goal of the event is to create a 250 mile memorial trail through Virginia.

Each hero marker tribute will include a biographical description of the hero along with American and Honor and Remember Flags.

Virginia “Run for the Fallen” will kick off on Thursday morning, May 4, 2017, at 6:30 a.m. at Fort Story, Virginia, with a “start” ceremony for the four-day, 250 plus mile run through Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Gloucester, Tappahannock, King George, Fredericksburg, Stafford, Quantico, Dumfries, Prince William County, Manassas, Fairfax County and Arlington to finish at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, at 1pm Sunday May 7th.

More details and route maps will be available here.

On Sunday afternoon, as the run enters Arlington there will again be opportunities for the public to show their support and walk alongside our team for the last mile from Fort Myer's Old Post Chapel at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall to Cemetery Section 60, where many Virginia heroes have been lain to rest.
For more information and to find out how to participate by joining the run or to donate or volunteer please visit the VA Run for the Fallen website at www.varunforthefallen.org or www.HonorandRemember.org.