Photo By Chief Petty Officer Sean Weir | U.S. and coalition service members from Camp Eggers participate in a “Remember...... read more read more
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KABUL, Afghanistan – More than 130 runners from U.S. and coalition forces participated in a “Remember Boston” 5K run at Camp Eggers in Afghanistan, April 20, 2013, to show solidarity with the city of Boston following the events surrounding the bombing of the Boston Marathon and the week that followed.
Lt. Gen. Ken Tovo, commanding general of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, kicked off the run with a motivational talk in which he thanked the runners for showing “Bean Town” the coalition's support.
"This week's terrorist events in Boston remind us why we're here and why our nations committed to the effort in Afghanistan nearly 12 years ago,” Lt. Gen. Tovo said.
Cmdr. Ray Bruttomesso, a U.S. Navy sailor at Camp Eggers, had a more personal reason than many others to complete the 3.1 mile trek.
“I did this run being from the Boston area, and I’m glad to see people from all different countries participating,” Cmdr. Bruttomesso explained.
Another Massachusetts native, Capt. Laura Applewhite, U.S. Air Force, ran mainly because she is from Waltham in the Boston area, so she ran for her hometown, she said. Capt. Applewhite shared that as soon as news of the marathon bombing hit the Internet and TV stations here on camp, she called home to check on family. Then with the news of the bombers being chased days later, she called home to check again.
“Everyone was in lockdown back home," she said.
While the captain said she never ran the full Boston Marathon, she has completed the half-marathon.
Lt. Col. Elizabeth Smith, U.S. Army, coordinated the run. She said the idea actually came from 1st Lt. James Micciche, U.S. Army, the executive officer of A Company, 307th ESB at Bagram Air Field, who was in the process of trying to organize a shadow run for the Boston Marathon. When that didn’t work out, the two wanted to do something to show support for the city. The leadership at Camp Eggers gave its okay for the group run here, starting with two U.S. Army colonels, Chief of Staff Col. Carl Coffman and Col. Robert Woodmansee, Camp Eggers’ Base Support Group.
“We had a total number of 138 runners, including about 40 Mongolian guards,” Lt. Col. Smith announced, who arrived about 5:30 a.m. in the morning to help BSG with set-up. “That brings our total mileage for the run to 427.8 miles so far.”
Those who couldn’t make the group run logged miles they ran on their own the same weekend, either around base or on treadmills across Camp Eggers, Bagram Airfield and Camp Phoenix, Lt. Col. Smith said. The total mileage run to show Boston support across the three camps was 2035.65, with Camp Eggers running 895.23 of those miles.
Others who weren’t from Boston ran for a personal reason, as well.
“I ran for the innocent victims of the tragic bombing in Boston,” said Capt. Joseph Kochan, U.S. Navy, Deputy Command Group Operations deputy command surgeon. “I especially ran for the youngest victim, Martin Richard, and his family. They have suffered so much with the loss of this youngster. I could not imagine losing my own son,” Capt. Kochan said.
In a move that seemed to inspire others and gain a nice applause at the finish, Sgt. Ana Cordoba, U.S. Army, wore her heavy bullet-proof vest throughout the whole race. She hails from Clifton, N.J., and is a member of Force Protection at Camp Eggers. Sgt. Cordoba took on the extra burden of weight in the race to empathize with law enforcement in Boston.
“I’m a police officer back home. I know you have to get in a vest in a foot pursuit,” she explained.
Coalition forces also supported the run, including runners from Great Britain, Germany, and approximately 40 runners from Mongolia.
“I am overwhelmed by the support shown across the camps this weekend,” said Lt. Col. Smith. “It not only shows the solidarity of runners, it strengthens our resolve as a coalition for as to why we are here, why we serve, and what we sacrifice to preserve.”
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2013 03:08 |
| Story ID: | 105721 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 537 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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