Results of Price of Freedom Race and 32-mile Memorial Birthday Walk

Pictures for the race and walk are being added to the photo gallery over the next several days. Thank you to all who participated in the Price of Freedom Race and birthday walk.

Race results/times are posted on the Tuscaloosa Track Club web site.

Age group/male/female winners from the race below.

Chad getting five from his nephew.

The walk had 40 participants. The only time it rained was when we were stopped for lunch and were under a covered patio, so we never got wet. It stopped before lunch was over. It was humid, but it was cloudy and great for walking 32 miles in 12 hours 45 mins.

Nearing stop 5, about mile 26.

2013 Price of Freedom Scholarship Recipient

On May 13, 2013 The Mark Forester Price of Freedom Scholarship was awarded to Haleyville High School senior Trey Williams. We appreciate Trey's reputation, and his involvement in productive activities and organizations.

Below is Trey with his parents. They were understandably very proud of their son.

The Welcome Home Heroes Traveling Tribute coming to Haleyville

This year, we are honored to have "The Welcome Home Heroes Traveling Tribute" come to Haleyville for the weekend of Mark's race and walk. The display will be set up at the high school near the football field on May 16-18, 2013. You will be impressed when you see it in person. They are traveling from Manteca, CA directly to Haleyville, then have to return back home for their regular Memorial Day weekend celebration the following weekend.

"The Welcome Home Heroes Traveling Tribute" is a memorial that was built six years ago bearing the names of those who have fallen since 9/11. Michael Dillman, a Vietnam veteran and passionate supporter of our troops and Gold Star families, created the memorial as a center piece to the "Not Forgotten" event that takes place every Memorial Day Weekend in Manteca, CA which has an annual attendance of 20,000 + and is the largest Memorial Day Weekend commemoration on the west coast. There are eleven panels that make up the memorial and each panel bears the images of fallen heroes and the names of more than 6,400 who have given their lives in sacrifice for our country.

Several years ago Allied Supreme Commander General Craddock personally viewed the Tribute and said it was one of the most beautiful memorials anywhere to be found in the nation. Each panel lights up to create a beautiful memorial of light at nightfall to our fallen heroes. The eleventh panel of the memorial was dedicated to the memory of fallen hero Air Force Senior Airman Mark Forester at the Not Forgotten event on May 27, 2012. The Traveling Tribute has been displayed up and down California from football invitationals to professional hockey games to patriotic events in an effort to honor all who have served, remember our fallen, and remind our citizens that freedom is not free.

This is the panel with Mark's image. All the names listed are the men and women who were killed defending our freedoms in the year of 2011.

HERE is an earlier post about this event from last year.

To go to the event's official web site, click HERE.

Please take the time to watch this video to learn more about the purpose of the Memorial Day weekend event and the traveling tribute coming to Haleyville. We spent several days with these great people last year and saw the panels, both in the day light and illuminated at night. We hope many people will visit, regardless if you are taking part in the race or walk. This will be open for viewing throughout the days of May 17 and 18.

Click here to play video.

Destin 50 Beach Ultra

Recently, a family friend ran the Destin 50 Beach Ultra which is an ultramarathon run entirely on the beautiful beaches of the Emerald Coast (FL). This race includes a 50 kilometer and 50 mile run, and benefits the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

This year, Christy Johnston said she was honored to run the 50K in honor of our brother, SrA Mark Forester.

We always appreciate Mark getting recognized as well as supporting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

We need to get Christy to take part in the Price of Freedom Race or the 32-mile Memorial Birthday Walk. If she can run 50k on the beach, she can handle just about any race.

"Big Andy" log

We like to keep up with what's going on at Pope Field, since that's where Mark was stationed. On March 15, 2013, Special Tactics operators from across Pope Field, N.C. took part in a 6 mile walk around the flightline carrying a log dedicated to a fallen comrade. The log, carved in honor of Staff Sgt. Andrew Harvell, is estimated to weigh 1,250 lbs. Harvell's nickname "Big Andy" is carved on one side of the log and his mantra "Victory or Valhalla" is carved on the other. Harvell was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan.

Here is more text from the article:

"We have prospective students carry logs and poles to promote team work, motivation and pride," said Senior Master Sgt Scott Innis, Combat Control School Commandant. "After the pole was finished, the staff at Combat Control School decided that combat controllers should carry it before students. We went further and invited the 21st and 24th Special Tactics Squadrons to be involved, as Andy had been assigned to both during his brief career. We split the distance evenly around the flight line."

The journey around the flightline started and ended with the instructors from the Combat Control School and was passed to the special tactics squadrons along the route. The one rule for this trip was the log doesn't touch the ground again until it is back at the Combat Control School.

This is a great tribute to one of their fallen brothers and one of our nation's heroes.

You can read the article from the Pope Field web site here

You can also read the post about Andy and his team's loss here.