Run for the Fallen Memorial Run Honors Fallen Soldiers

June 14^th 2008 was not just another Flag Day for runforthefallen.org. The director and founder Jon Bellona lost his best friend and college roommate 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary to the war in Iraq over two years ago. This, along with his love of running and the love he has for his country motivated him to organize Run for the Fallen. This memorial run started on June 14^th at Fort Irwin California and is scheduled to end at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA with a 10k finish on Sunday August 24^th 2008.

The memorial run will honor the fallen soldiers of the Iraq war with an American Flag at every mile marker. The flags also represent all of the soldiers currently serving in the US Armed Forces. One important part of the run is that it is not politically based. The run has no agenda aside from the fact that they are honoring those that have fought and those that have fallen while supporting the United States.

Run for the Fallen is also working to bring awareness to other organizations that support our troops. These organizations include the Wounded Warrior Project, Helping Unite Gold Star Survivors, The Seven Stars Foundation and the 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary Memorial Fund.

Everyone across the US is encouraged to meet up with the group of runners to run, bike or cheer them on. If you have missed the organization running through your town you can join the support in other ways. You can donate to any of the organizations I mentioned above to help wounded and recovering soldiers. You can participate from your own hometown on August 24^th with your own run. You can run alone or with a group. You can run, walk or bike a mile or have your own personal 10k. Contact runforthefallen.org and let them know how much you will be running and who you are running in honor of and they will be posting the combined mileage on their website and blog. They also have a downloadable runners bib that you can print out and wear while you are showing your support.

To learn more about the Run for the Fallen organization you can visit their website. The website features a map of where they have been and where they are heading. You can see a slide show of all of the soldiers who have been honored and find links to other organizations they are supporting.