What does a runner need to cross America? Some may say shoes, others training. But the members of the Gumpathon team are proving that the key ingredient is heart. That lesson resonated with the dozen University Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps midshipmen that came out to run with the members of the Gumpathon team Sept. 17.
The Gumpathon is a 3,520 mile ultra-marathon that began in New York City and ends Nov. 10 in Los Angeles. A team of six retired and active-duty marines clock approximately 60 miles on foot per day to raise money for HELP for heroes, The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund and the U.S. Injured Marine Simper Fi Fund. The event is not simply a charitable venture, but also an opportunity to show support for members of the armed forces wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. As one of the runners, Retired Marine Corporal Lloyd Fenner commented, "Whilst I was deployed in Afghanistan, I lost two close friends and saw many receive life changing injuries. It's this experience that is my primary reason for wanting to be involved with the Gumpathon."
British Colour Sergeant Damian Todd originally developed the idea for the Gumpathon 14 years ago. While coordinating the initiative, members of the Gumpathon team strived to garner support from both the British and American publics. The team participating in the cross-country journey consists of four men who have served in the British Royal Marines, a member of the British Army and a United States Marine. The British-American association fosters goodwill in both countries and shows that Anglo-American collaboration does not end once the troops return from the front lines.
Fourth-year Matt Shilan served as the student liaison between the Gumpathon team and the University NROTC. Shilan was also among the NROTC midshipmen that met the Gumpathon runners at the Downtown Mall when the marines came through Charlottesville. The University midshipmen presented the Gumpathon team with $1,200 raised through student donations and joined the Gumpathon runners on their jog through Charlottesville. Shilan is still in contact with the team, which is currently making its way through Tennessee. The team appreciated the Charlottesville community's support because, as Shilan noted, the marines are often running in rural areas where "it gets a little lonely when you're on the back-country roads."
University students should be proud of NROTC's efforts to make the members of the Gumpathon feel welcome as they passed through Charlottesville. Events like the Gumpathon are necessary for the country, especially as the war in Iraq comes to a close. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned in a speech at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill last Wednesday, "Whatever their fond sentiments for men and women in uniform, for most Americans the war remains an abstraction - a distant and unpleasant series of news items that does not affect them personally." As Gates noted, there is a real threat that the public may overlook the impact the war has made on our veterans.
The realities of war are difficult for citizens to ignore if they can see a triple amputee jogging through their city on his prosthetic legs. While describing that scene is jarring, it is difficult to dismiss that type of sacrifice. Our veterans serve as living reminders that we should never forget the brave men and women that have given their time, bodies and lives in service to our nation. Keeping that in mind, the choice of Forrest Gump as the theme for the Marine's cross-country run is fitting. Gump's story illustrates that with perseverance and the right attitude, individuals of character can overcome any challenge dealt to them by providence.
In the movie, Forrest Gump recounts the adventures of his life as he sits unassumingly on a park bench in Savannah, Georgia. No passerby would have guessed that this common man was a hero, an icon, a legend. Yet, that same scene plays out thousands of times a day across the United States as citizens interact with the millions of active duty and retired American service persons. They are the unsung heroes who preserve our freedom. Forrest Gump got it right when he said, "Now my mama's always tell'n me how miracles happen every day, some people don't think so, but they do." Every time I see a veteran, I realize the wisdom in Gump's words, and each day American liberty endures is a miracle preserved by the courage of our veterans. Let us never forget their sacrifice.
Ginny is an Opinion editor for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at v.robinson@cavalierdaily.com.
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