Fort Carson hosts its first run/walk Sunday afternoon
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It was a day to honor and remember Fort Carson's finest. Soldiers who have fallen in battle in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Thousands gathered at the Mountain Post Sunday afternoon to walk for them.
It was Fort Carson's first "Run for the Fallen." A national run/walk from Fort Irwin, California to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Participants completed a one-mile walk around the post's Iron Horse Park. Over 1,000 people participated, hundreds more than organizers expected.
"We lost our son Jeffery in Iraq in 2004, he was a Second Lieutenant, so we certainly can connect with all the people that are out here," Major General Mark Graham said.
Major General Graham and his wife Carol wore their son's name on a sign on the front of their shirts. The Major General said it is important to honor and remember together.
"I tell people often, we are in a club that we never wanted to be in, there are a group of us that never wanted to be a group because of this reason, but we are," Major General Graham said.
Organizers said they wanted the Grahams and others to feel the communities love, and support. "It shows the comradery and respect that we have for the soldiers the have lost their lives to keep the rest of us safe," Organizer Melissa Glasspoole said.
The sight and sound of thousands walking left many speechless. A banner displayed the pictures of all of Fort Carson's fallen.
"We are thinking about our son all the time, but just to know that this many people took time out to be with us means everything," Carol Graham said.
When the walk was over and the day was done, Major General Graham said it is important to keep remembering.
"Everyday at some point in your day remember, this is the land of the free because of the brave, and these soldiers who gave everything are the brave," Major General Graham said.
