Travis to support California Run for the Fallen Oct. 12 – 14

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Nearly 800 California service members have been killed in action since 9/11 and Airmen at Travis Air Force Base, California, plan to honor their sacrifice with the seventh annual California Run for the Fallen Oct. 12-14.

The 150-mile honor run, which begins Oct. 12 in Elk Grove, California, will take runners through 23 towns and end Oct. 14 at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, California. The event will also feature a 5K race that’s open to the public as well as a closing ceremony.

“The purpose of the run is to honor our service members for their sacrifice and their families who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said Master Sgt. Zachariah Ellis, 60th Maintenance Squadron production superintendent and the California Run for the Fallen director. “We do a small ceremony at every mile marker, which we call hero markers, for every fallen service member. At some of these markers we honor as many as 18 service members and Gold Star families. It’s something we do to keep their memory alive. They gave their lives for their country and we are taking time to recognize that and understand that their families live with that every day. I can’t think of anything more important.”

The hero markers Ellis mentioned are small American flags affixed with a photograph of a fallen service member that includes information about that individual such as their military service branch, rank and the date that person died.

At least two members of the Honor Run team will carry the United States and California flags as they run in three-mile increments. The runners must maintain at least an eight-minute, 30 second mile pace to ensure adequate time for a small ceremony at each hero marker.

“I was blown away by these guys running up, placing the flags and the reverence and respect they paid at Adam’s hero marker the first time I saw that,” said Bill Myers, stepfather of deceased U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Adam Perkins, an explosive ordnance disposal technician who served with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. “They run a mile and hand off the flags they’re carrying to someone else. Before placing the flags, they read the information about the service member on the card affixed to the flag. Then they place the flags in the ground and render a very respectful salute. It’s extremely touching and it means a lot.”

Perkins was a native of Antelope, California. He was killed in May 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The deployment was his third and, at the time of his death, he was 27 years old.

Bill has been involved with the Run for the Fallen since 2013. For the past several years, he’s worked with local law enforcement to secure roadways along the route to help ensure the safety of the runners. He also pulls a 16-foot trailer with his truck and follows the runners along the 150-mile route to serve as a barrier between runners and drivers.

Perkins’ mother, Laureen Myers, said she hopes people learn what it means to be a Gold Star family and appreciate the sacrifice that’s made to earn that title.

“I want people to understand what a Gold Star family is because many people don’t know,” she said.

A Gold Star family member is an immediate family member of a service member who died supporting combat operations. It is unknown exactly how many Gold Star families there are, but according to a report by CNN, more than 6,000 U.S. service members have died in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In California, 799 service members have been killed in action since 9/11, approximately 47 per year for the past 17 years.

“Being a Gold Star family isn’t something we would ever ask for and we remember Adam every day,” said Laureen. “Adam’s biological father died when he was 16 and Adam was my youngest son and the only son I had at home. He would help me around the house whether that was cooking or anything else. He had a great sense of humor, he was fun to be around and he enjoyed life. He also enjoyed a challenge, which is why he became an EOD technician.”

Perkins decided to join the Marines before he graduated high school and went to basic training the Monday after 9/11.

“It bothered him that he wasn’t already done with his training so he could do something about it,” said Laureen. 

She has attended every Run for the Fallen event since 2012 to honor her son’s memory. She said she’s thankful for the team that organizes the honor run each year.

“The (people) who run this and the appreciation they show is incredible,” she said, fighting back tears. “Knowing that someone who isn’t a Marine and didn’t know my son would take the time to honor him means a lot to our family.”

U.S. Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Kevin Graves, a chaplain’s assistant with the 185th Military Police Battalion in Pittsburg, California, became a Gold Star father when his only son, U.S. Army Spc. Joseph Graves, a military policeman assigned to the 49th MP Battalion, was killed outside the Green Zone in Iraq in July 2006.

“My son wanted to join the Army ever since he was 17,” said Kevin. “He wanted to serve his country during a time of war.”

Kevin followed in his son’s footsteps and enlisted in the Army in January 2010. He said he joined the service in an effort to help him with his grief. He also set up a foundation in his son’s memory to help Gold Star families through the grieving process.

“You have to find honor in the sacrifice, because if you can’t find honor in the sacrifice, you’ll forever be angry at the people who were around your son,” he said. “You have to find a healthy path to grieving. You also have to respect each family and how they’re grieving. It may take them 20 years to find that path.”

Kevin has supported the Run for the Fallen since 2012, when he followed the runners on his motorcycle and helped them with some last-minute logistics.

“Airmen from Travis gave me a hug and handed me a flag honoring my son,” he said.  “Then, they asked me to join them on their run and I followed them on my motorcycle and saw them place each flag.”

As the runners approached a toll bridge in Antioch, California, Kevin raced ahead and paid the tolls for their support vehicles.

He said the support Travis provides fallen service members and their families is important.

“What Travis does in conjunction with the Gold Star community is ensure the names of the fallen are called out and saluted every year and never forgotten,” he said.

The three-day Run for the Fallen will end at 4 p.m. Oct. 14 with a closing ceremony at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery. The ceremony will feature guest speakers, a flag placement and the playing of “Taps.”

To join the Honor Run team, call U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Edith Smith, 60th Maintenance Group, at 707-424-7827. For more information about the Run for the Fallen, visit www.carunforthefallen.org.