RED CLOUD GARRISON - On a day when the United States solemnly remembered its living and deceased veterans, servicemembers in Uijeongbu paid homage to those who came before them by participating in the Memorial Day 5K Fun Run at Red Cloud Garrison May 31.

Despite the early morning rain that may have affected participation, a group of 10 dedicated Warriors came out to kick off the holiday with exercise and put their running skills to the test with friendly competition. First through third place runners in the women's, men's 30 and under and men's 31 and up divisions received a medal.

Marcos Rico, C Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was able to keep up a good pace and finish in first place with a time of 23:34. He attributed his success of a daily routine of physical training and occasional soccer games.

"First place is always nice," Rico said with a smile. "You don't always get to come in first place so it feels good when you have that opportunity to shine."

"I'm proud of everyone who came out to participate. There weren't a lot of people who came out but the people who showed up did a great job and really pushed themselves. These type of events give Soldiers an outlet. "It gives Soldiers the opportunity to participate in friendly competition and definitely builds morale."

Oscar Gallardo, HHSC, DSTB, runner-up with a time of 24:04 and Rico both agree that while the early morning rain deterred participation, the event was still fun.

"These events are nice because you can meet people from other areas and companies," Gallardo said. "Even though there weren't many people because of the early rain, I still was able to meet new people and have fun.

"I was surprised how good the competition was considering that there were only a few people who came. Everybody ran hard and did a wonderful job."

In the women's division, Earlene Lavender, Red Cloud Garrison command sergeant major, finished first with a time of 31:50. Marta Artiga was the runner-up in 35:10.

In the men's 31 and up division, Melvin Smith came in third place with a time of 29:36. Trans Comeford finished first in the men's 30 and under division in 25:04. John Obrien was second in 25:26, followed by Kevin Bengough with a time of 50:47.

While the event was competitive, the reason for the run wasn't lost on the competitors.

"This was a great event to pay homage to our fellow veterans and show support to the community for their efforts in supporting us," Gallardo said.