Wear Blue Run to Remember

“No review was or will be conducted”

“Governing documents are made available to the public upon written request.”

“Gold star youth mentorship program - this new pilot program is a two-month run-focused community impact program benefitting children of fallen service members. Wear blue run to remember, in partnership with big brothers - big sisters, pairs children of fallen military heroes with active duty military mentors. The mentor provides a glimpse into the life of service that defined the childs fallen parent, while participating in the life affirming action of running. This positive relationship and living memorial promote continued healing and growth. The program currently serves families in the joint base lewis mcchord region of washington state, with plans for expansion in 2018 and 2019. Additional volunteer staff, overhead, marketing and supplies were added prepare for the expansion.- for the fightingwear blue: run to remember is founded on three distinct yet intertwined pillars for the fallen, for the fighting, for the families. Of these, the fighting population can prove challenging to reach given many do not feel they deserve any special recognition or assistance. Participation in wear blue events can be a positive outlet for those struggling with the stresses of service and a way to honor their service and the service of their brothers and sisters in arms. In order to strengthen the for the fighting pillar and honor those who continue to serve, wear blue initiated its inaugural for the fighting program in 2017. This program brings six active duty service members to washington d.c. To run in the nations premier 10 mile race, the army 10-miler. The inaugural running of the program included six active duty army members who had deployed that year. Wear blue hosted these individuals in washington d.c. For the saturday wear blue circle of remembrance, a visit to arlington national cemetery to observe the changing of the guard, and participation in the 2017 army 10-miler on sunday october 8. Wear blue provided airfare, lodging, race weekend transportation, running shoes, running gear, a 10-miler training plan, and the mentorship of a senior military leader. Participants were ranked e-5 or below and had returned from a deployment within six months prior to beginning training.”

“More information on the for the fighting program -less than 1% of the population is serving in our nations military and less than 7% have ever served. Service in the military is becoming the exception and with that comes a greater gap in understanding about what it takes to serve.the us military has been at war since november of 2001 just over 16.5 years. While the military has seen unprecedented levels of support from the public, they (the public) have been spared little to no sacrifice in the ongoing military activity. Todays actions in afghanistan and the middle east are given scant attention on the news and the vast majority of americans are unaware of the scope of global involvement we still have today. Service members joining the military in 2017 were between one and three years old when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred. Individuals joining the army today anticipate that they will be deployed to areas of active hostilities during their tenure. Army service may attract those who are predisposed towards risk-taking. That said, protracted deployments have exacerbated this phenomenon. Consequently, good order and discipline are necessary to mitigate risk and maintain normal standards of behavior. Deployments, high operational tempo, uncertainty over possible reduction in force sizes coupled with normal every day stresses of family concerns, education pursuits and career aspirations create a stressful, challenging environment for our nations military members and their families. While there is a good deal of stress on the force, the overwhelming majority handles the stress quite well and serves with dignity, honor and strength. The fighting are incredible ambassadors for our neighborhoods and communities and showcase the very best our nation has to offer. These individuals are the ones we want to honor with the for the fighting 10-miler program. By selecting a small sampling of currently serving individuals, we show them that their continued service is not forgotten nor taken for granted. That it means something to serve and that we, the american people are truly thankful for their service. Even more so, we provide healthy coping and reintegration mechanisms throughout the challenging deployment cycles.”