Community runs to show support for wounded warriors

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - More than 400 runners from across the Tennessee Valley came out Feb. 26 to support wounded warriors as well as active duty military members.

Grissom High School Army Jr. Reserve Officer Training Corps, in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Project, sponsored the second annual Wounded Warrior 5k Run at Huntsville's McGucken Park. Half-way around the world, more than 150 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians simultaneously participated in Afghanistan and Iraq to show their support for their comrades.

"I have such a heart for wounded warriors," said Stefanie Armstrong, mother of a student at Grissom High School and race director. "When you think about a Soldier being wounded in an ambush, he is evacuated to a theater hospital and he wakes up and he has nothing except the hospital gown on his back, but there is a wounded warrior backpack right next to his bedside. And that is what initially drew me to this program.

"Today's turnout was better than we expected," she added. "We were a victim of our own success. We expected about 300 runners and we had over 450. It far exceeded our expectations. Thank you to all the volunteers. We could not have done this without the support of a great community, and it was all done for such a great cause."

Numerous civic organizations came out to show their support and remind people of the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.

"You can't forget these young men and women in our military," said retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bill Binkley, member of Vets with Vettes. "Those kids are doing great things. Every day they go outside the wire on patrols, and we just want people to keep supporting the troops and make sure that they keep supporting our wounded warriors who have sacrificed so much."

Coming out to represent Huntsville's support for local veterans was the city's top official, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.

"It is a group of great young ROTC students who decided to put this on for our wounded warriors to raise money for and show respect for (them) and to our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq," Battle said. "This is one of those things that you find people all over Huntsville who just step up and do things like this because it is the right thing to do. And they do it because they want to honor those who are protecting us."

Members of the Redstone Arsenal community also came out to support the event as well as the nation's wounded warriors.

"It is a pleasure to be here to recognize an organization that is training emerging leaders who are reaching out to support those who served and who need our help, our wounded warriors," said Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, commander of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. "This is just another example of Americans reaching out to provide support to those who have served their country and have suffered some sort of injury. They are not going to be forgotten and this is an opportunity for a small segment of Americans to tell them that."

To begin the race, a canon fired and the runners started. And even though there was friendly competition, those participating remembered the importance of the day.

"We are deeply committed to our troops and certainly have a lot of compassion for those who have gotten injured over there and want to be a part of something that will help them when they return," said Kevin Crumlish, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Future Warfare Center. "We think a lot about them and we are very proud of them. We want to help them as much as possible when they return and let them know we care about each and every one of them."

As runners approached the finish line, members of the Patriot Riders motorcycle club lined the course with American flags and cheered the runners during the last leg of the race.

One person who understands the necessity of supporting those who are wounded while in combat talked about the importance of these events.

"This is amazing," said Staff Sgt. James West, a medically retired wounded warrior who served in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) before being wounded in Iraq. "Just to be here and have this support, it definitely hits you in the heart. What gets you the most is that it is not just Soldiers or Families of service members, but the whole community came out to support us."