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ARLINGTON, Va. - Navy Reserve Capt. Nancy Lacore's final two days
of the 160-mile Valor Run were both the easiest and the hardest
miles of her six-day trek to honor the 160 service women killed in
Afghanistan and Iraq during the war on terror. The cross-state run
commenced in Chesapeake, Va., and each mile represented a fallen
U.S. uniformed female lost in battle during the past 13 years.
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Flanked by daughter Evelyn, husband Pat and daughter Lillian,
Valor Run lead runner Navy Reserve Capt. Nancy Lacore walks the
final third of a mile of the 160-mile run from Memorial Bridge to
the Women in Military Service for America Memorial the morning of
Oct. 18, 2014. (JBM-HH PAO photo by Jim Dresbach)
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“I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday
(Oct. 17, 2014),” said Lacore. “I found my wall on Friday, but I
woke up today and felt like a different person. Plus, I knew
all these people were waiting for me.”
Hundreds of
followers joined
Lacore and her family in a symbolic walk during the final
third of a mile from the Virginia side of the Memorial
Bridge to the Women's Memorial Plaza, where she was greeted
with accolades and cake.
During the final segment of
her multi-day run, Lacore started in the Pentagon parking
lot and ran a District of Columbia 10-miler concluding at
the Women in Military Service for America Memorial near the
gates of Arlington National Cemetery.
Greeting Lacore
at the base of the memorial pool were retired Air Force
Brig. Gen. Wilma L. Vaught, Women's Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors president, and Vice Adm. Robin R. Braun,
Chief of Navy Reserve, Commander, Navy Reserve Force.
“What a wonderful idea to pay tribute to these 160 women
who gave so much to our nation,” Braun told the crowd.
“Nancy, I know this has been an all-out effort from your
family and your friends.”
The run took Lacore and her
entourage - many who joined in the daily pacings - through
historic sites such as Williamsburg and northern Virginia's
Quantico Marine Corps Base. But the adrenaline reached new
heights with the sight of the Washington Monument, the
Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Drive.
“What a
journey,” Lacore told the gathering. “It took my breath away
when I saw this crowd of people.”
Lacore averaged 25
miles a day during the excursion.
By Jim Dresbach
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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