On Flag Day, June 14th 2008 a relay of runners began a cross country relay run. They will spend 72 days, cross 13 states and along the way, at every mile they will plant a US flag, photo and card to honor the memory of a service member who gave their all in OIF. That amounts to 4,113 miles of flags and memories honoring those who have died in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
What began as a jog on a rainy day, turned into a 4,113 relay by Jon Bellona, roommate and friend to Mike Cleary of Dallas, PA. Mike and Jon sat and watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold before them. Mike decided to join the military, and delayed his entry at the urging of his father to finish his college degree first.
1stLt. Michael J. Cleary was killed in an ambush on December 20, 2005 in Iraq. He was not the first, nor will he be the last, but his friend Jon Bellona will make sure he is not forgotten. What started as an idea turned into a major project with the aid of his fianacee and Cleary’s sister, who will also run. Soon, help started coming in from nearly 2 dozen middle and high schools located across the country, as they volunteered to make the cards that will be there with each flag.
He is no stranger to organizing a coast to coast trek. Four years ago, Bellona made another cross country trip, that time by bicycle, to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. As a senior at Hamilton, he produced a 6 hour long sound memorial to the soldiers of Vietnam.
On August 24th, there will be a 10K ceremonial race with 150 runners which will end within Arlington. Only a small number of runners will actually enter Arlington where a final flag will be planted as a bugler plays taps. This 10K is to honor those who have been killed in OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) which is ongoing in Afghanistan.
Jon began his journey at Ft. Irwin, California on June 14th and will finish at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, on August 24th.
Be sure to check out their website where you can see why they are running (in their own words), who is running, a day by day breakdown of the miles, start and stop points for that day, which soldiers are honored that day, and more. Plan to spend some time here, as the site has a lot of information on it
Copyright 2008 MsMarti. All rights reserved.
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