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Marines Honor Fallen Heroes With Memorial Run
(December 20, 2010) |
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| | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII (MCN - 12/16/2010) — Behind a giant
white banner bearing the phrase, “To honor their blood... with
our sweat,” the morning sun shone brightly off a row of 116
dog tags displayed outside the 3rd Marine Regiment
headquarters building on Marine Corps Base Hawaii. |
Marines with 3rd Marine
Regiment honor the regiment's fallen Marines and sailors
while taking a knee at the Pacific War Memorial during a
Fallen Heroes Run on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Dec. 15,
2010. Since 2004, 116 Marines and sailors from 3rd Marine
Regiment have been killed during operations in Afghanistan
and Iraq. On Dec. 14 and 15, teams of at least two Marines
or sailors in combat boots and camouflage trousers ran a
2-mile evolution 116 times — one for each fallen hero. The
route took them from the 3rd Marine Regiment headquarters
building to the Pacific War Memorial here and back. |
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The aluminum dog tags were displayed in memory of 116
Marines and sailors from each of the units under 3rd Marine
Regiment. Over the course of the regiment's 15 combat
deployments in support of overseas contingency operations,
these men made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and
brothers-in-arms.
3rd Marine Regiment honored them during a Fallen Heroes Run,
Dec. 14 and 15, 2010.
Before the memorial run began Dec. 14, Col. James Bierman,
commanding officer, 3rd Marine Regiment, called his Marines
to gather around him.
“These men were forged from the same steel as those who
crossed through the woods at Belleau Wood, landed on Iwo
Jima, and fought in Korea and Vietnam,” Bierman said. “They
are the heroes of our regiment, and the heroes of the Marine
Corps.”
The regiment's first combat casualty during these operations
was Lance Cpl. Jeremy Bow, a machine gunner with 1st
Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. He was killed in Fallujah,
Iraq, Oct. 30, 2004.
After Bow, 115 Marines and sailors have died in the cities
of western Iraq, the mountains of northeast Afghanistan and
river valleys of the Helmand province, and hospitals in
Bethesda, Md., and Landstuhl, Germany, Bierman said.
“These Marines and sailors didn't go to Iraq and Afghanistan
to die, but when push came to shove — in critical seconds
and at critical moments — they gave their lives for their
buddies,” Bierman said. |
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As the regimental battle colors were passed to the
first runners, a bell tolled and a Marine read off Bow's
name as those present stood at the position of attention. A
lone dog tag stamped with the Marine's name, date killed in
action, and unit, signified the fallen Marine's memory as it
hung around the neck of one of the runners.
From then on, teams of at least two Marines or sailors in
combat boots and camouflage trousers carried the regimental
battle colors and ran a 2-mile evolution 116 times — one for
each fallen hero. The route took them from the 3rd Marine
Regiment headquarters building to the Pacific War Memorial
and back.
“Every time we do a memorial run, we're honoring the memory
of the Marines and sailors who went before us,” said Staff
Sgt. Mark American Horse, training and operations staff
noncommissioned officer, 1/3. “It reminds us of what we have
to live up to.”
While the Tulsa, Okla., native's run was dedicated to his
friend, Lance Cpl. Darrell Schumann, a machine gunner with
1/3, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Ar Rutbah,
Iraq, Jan. 6, 2005, American Horse said he was there for all
the Marines he served with who didn't return home.
Sgt. Christian Orellana, remain behind element, 2nd
Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, said the
physically-challenging memorial run was an excellent way to
symbolize what the 116 Marines and sailors sacrificed. But
he urged people to remember the fallen and not take things
for granted.
“Once the sign comes down, a lot of people will forget what
happened,” said Orellana, from Monterey, Calif. “We're in
garrison and don't have much to worry about, but the Marines
and sailors who died don't have that luxury anymore. This is
a reality check.”
The regiment's most recent casualty, 1st Lt. Scott Fleming,
a platoon commander with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment,
was the last Marine honored during the memorial run. He was
killed Sept. 17 in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
“These 116 heroes have shown us the way,” Bierman said.
“There is no doubt in my mind that as time goes on, these
Marines will be watching over us.” |
Article and photo by USMC LCpl. Reece E. Lodder
Marine Corps Base Hawaii
Copyright 2010 | |
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
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