Carry the fallen Recap

Before I get into what I did this weekend, please allow me to just sat THANK YOU! to every body that has helped me raise money for this charity, it means a lot, I honestly did not think I could raise as much as I did. My posted goal was 250, I figured it would push me to try, I got 310. If you donated through my link you probably already saw this, but for those that did not, this is the personal touch I put on my donation page:

Hello,
A little bit about me in relation to the armed forces. My grandfather and uncle both served this country. I have a rather large number of friends that serve in or have served in various armed forces. A number which grows each year, and this is the least that I could do for them. I can not even imagine some of the things my friends and loved ones have gone through. My grandfather fought in WW2 (he got a purple heart) and my uncle was in Vietnam, his platoon was the first in to Cambodia and the last one out.

This was an amazing experience, the day started off incredibly early, the check in was scheduled for 515am and I only got four hours of sleep, which amazingly was way more than most of the people i talked to that day. We started off a little behind schedule, but it was fun chatting with my friends that I do not often get to see. Before we set off on our march, there was a singing of the national anthem, and short bit about the reason we were all gathered there. We were gathered to raise awareness of an incredibly high suicide rate of veterans, 22 a day. PTSD is serious and many can not get the help they need. We set off at the start line of the Boston marathon around 7am. As we marched we had a police escort for a little bit (and a bunch of the route) and as forecasted it was snowing for a wile while we were marching, but it did not really accumulate, so that was a plus, and most of the day was at or below freezing, the high was about 40, and that was great!There was about 114 at the start, and I think most of us made it to the finish line. There were several designated stops along the way, we all went as a giant group, and got a bunch of those awkward stars, and questions, but that was the point! There was a great support group for us, with a rented rv, one pick up truck, and one small car. The support group all had a wonderful attitude, and had so much food, and a bunch of drinks. they even wrote lovely notes on the bananas.

Our route had us stop off at a donut shop to rest and get coffee, a stop in a natick vfw for snacks (about mile 10). Then the next stop was lunch at a grocery store, and break at a firehouse on a corner of the route in newton. and a few stops for the bathroom as well. point being we did walk a marathon, but this was an event that anybody in decent shape can do! there were a lot of blisters and other issues due to people carrying a whole bunch of weight in their backpacks .

 But that was the point (mine was between 40-50, and i am sure many of the people were carrying more than I was). so with plenty of breaks and such it was doable, that being said rucking a marathon is no cake walk, it was hard, and i was happy to drop my ruck when it was time to do so, but that is what the rv was for if it got to heavy. At the vfw there were personal stories told, and names read to honor those lost to suicide, they were very moving, and served as a reminder as to why we were all their that day.

 One of the most touching things to me was once we finally hit Boston. shortly after entering the city, we had a police escort again, this time it was 3 police cars, and they drove ahead and blocked every street for us, we only had to stop at one intersection for a walk light. But the real kicker was just before taking a left onto boylston st, they shut down the street, and we marched down the street. Once we turned onto bolyston st you could see nothing but blue lights, every street had a cop car blocking off entrance to bolyston st. the fire house had about a dozen firefighters out front cheering us on, the hotels and restaurants had people out front as well, giving out high 5's, hand shakes, applauding, and cheering us on. Heck even in front of the bars, were packed with people cheering us on. as we started down boylston st we started chanting.

ONE TEAM! ..... ONE FIGHT!

and

WE! ..... CARRY THE FALLEN!

Video of the last 1/4 mile down boylston st

Hearing the police and everybody cheering us on, friends and loved ones at the finish line, signs, and everything, yeah, it was an emotional event to say the least. Even writing these words I am tearing up a bit, it was a powerful moment in time. At the end, the leaders that made sure we were safe, and stayed out of the way of traffic, (and that they stayed out of our way), and guided us, kept us smiling, made sure we had all that we needed. They handed out the patches.

Also, as a surprise, marathon sports, which is right next to the finish line, offered up a box of cliff blocks, and guu type stuff for us. They also opened up there store so we could use their restroom, and had foam rollers and recovery sticks (hand held rollers) they truly were wonderful! Every aspect of this event was truly memorable. I look forward to the opportunity to do this one again (and maybe even run the Boston marathon for real, hopefully i can raise the funds and get a bib)

So until next time I will leave you with this thought.
Imagine a world where kindness is bountiful, people are humble, but also know that they are important. And I hope this post finds you and lets you know that there are many ways to help people, but all you really have to do is try. So try your best everyday to make a difference, one step at a time.
Stephen