“We are grateful to be one of the nonprofits selected to be highlighted this January for GBT Gives Back. If we receive the donation it will help us fund our two community events in May.” 

wear blue: run to remember is a volunteer run national nonprofit with 50+ communities, many near military installations. The mission of wear blue is to honor the service and sacrifice of the American military through active remembrance. wear blue is an all inclusive organization that actively strives to bridge the gap between the military and the community. Their running group provides community members a tangible way to show their appreciation and support for the military.

The local community is called the wear blue Quantico community because of their proximity to the Marine Corps installation but they don’t meet on base.

On the first Saturday of the month they meet in the parking lot of the Jeff Rouse Center to run and/or walk together along the sidewalks of Embrey Mill. On the third Saturday of the month they meet at Old Mill Park in Fredericksburg to run/walk along the canal path.

Before they run they hold a Circle of Remembrance. When someone arrives to a wear blue Saturday run they receive a small slip of white paper bearing the name and rank of a service member killed in action over that weekend since the Global War on Terror began. They then gather in a circle and go around one by one each taking a moment to say the name on our paper out loud. When everyone has called out who they received to remember that day they go around the circle again. This time as they go it’s open to anyone to say the name of whoever brought them there.

Their three pillars are for the fallen, for the fighting, and for the families. Sometimes people call out the name of a spouse or a sibling that was killed in action. Other times a parent may call out the name of their deployed daughter or son. It’s serves as a great reminder that our service members are still deployed/deploying. They end the Circle of Remembrance with a prayer and then they begin their run. Everyone is welcome at their events. They are always free, inclusive to everyone of all abilities, and family friendly.

In May they host their two biggest community events of the year. At the Marine Corps Historic Half they create a wear blue Mile. This is a one mile section of the course near the river. The mile starts with 125 Faces of the Fallen posters that line the first half of that mile. Each poster has been requested by someone running the race or volunteering on the wear blue Mile. The second half of the wear blue Mile is more than a hundred volunteers, each one holding a full size American flag. Every flag has a black ribbon bearing the name of one of the fallen heroes that was on the first half of the mile. If someone requests a poster and flag for the race it’s at no cost to them. As a volunteer run organization they use donations to fund these living memorials (and all their events) so that it’s always at no cost to the participant. 

Their 5th annual Memorial Day 5k is on Memorial Day and starts at Old Mill Park. They set up tribute posters along a small stretch of the canal path. They also display a 25 foot banner that contains more than 7,000 names, every service member killed in action during the global war on terror is listed. This event is relaxed, people can run, walk, or bike along the path. While there is a dedicated 5k route that starts and stops at Old Mill Park not everyone chooses to do the entire route. The most important part about this event is getting the community out and remembering our heroes who sacrificed everything for our country. Just like their other events, this is free and open to everyone of all abilities. 

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?

wear blue: run to remember is looking for volunteers for their two community events.

May 22nd, 2022 is the Marine Corps Historic Half. Volunteers typically need to arrive by 5:30am and they are done by 10:30/11:00am. 

May 30th is the Memorial Day 5k at Old Mill Park. Volunteers typically start at 7:00am, however they still need to confirm times for this event.

If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to them before for more details.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

 Local wear blue point of contact:

Carrie.moschetto@wearblueruntoremember.org

Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/groups/quanticowearblue/

Instagram: 
@wearblue.quantico 

Website: 

www.wearblueruntoremember.org

TO VOTE FOR THEM IN JANUARY, CLICK HERE.