Run honors fallen air warrior

By Sgt. Nathan Akridge, 31st ADA PAOAugust 30, 2012

Sgt. Brandon Maggart Memorial run
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla.-- Many service members have dealt with the loss friends and comrades during the Global War on Terrorism.

Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery held a memorial run at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., to keep the memory of one of their fallen alive.

The 4-mile run was held in honor of Sgt. Brandon Maggart, killed by indirect fire Aug. 22, 2010, while serving with the 5-5th ADA in Basrah, Iraq. The memorial run honored Maggart and showed his wife, Teresa, that she and her son, Blake, are part of the unit family.

"This run means more to me than just honoring our fallen brothers and sisters in arms, it's also showing the families that they are not forgotten," said Staff Sgt. John O'Connor, A Battery, 5-5th ADA.

More than 250 Soldiers and family members supported the event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Participants wore blue shirts, which had Maggart's name on the back. The blue shirts are part of the "Wear Blue, Run to Remember" program, which serves as a support network for the families of Soldiers killed in action. The program also creates a living memorial for fallen Soldiers through memorial runs. It was started by the wife of a Soldier who was killed in action in Afghanistan.

Another contingent of Soldiers and family members supported the event with a "shadow run" held at Fort Sill. Fort Sill support came from Soldiers of the 31st and 30th Air Defense Artillery brigades, many of whom served with Maggart in Iraq.

"It was touching to see the team cohesion between Soldiers and family members to honor this fallen warrior," said Command Sgt. Maj. Gerardo Dominguez, 31st ADA CSM.