Remebrance Run/Walk Remembers Fallen Iowa Soldiers

A press release:

The 4th Annual Remembrance Run, a 5K run/walk honoring 117 Iowa service members who have died since 2003 is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 29, at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines.

The  program starts at 9:45 a.m. and the run starts at 10.

This year there are nearly 900 registered participants ages 12 & over, and around 90 volunteers. The oldest registered participant is a 98-year-old WWII and Korean War veteran.

Organizers are expecting more than 1,300 people at this year’s 5K, easily quadrupling the 250 participants who attended the inaugural Remembrance Run four years ago.

The program will feature:

* Flyover by a vintage plane (Craig Somerfeld)Welcome by Iowa Remembers

* Honorary Speaker Jeni Carney Green, widow of Army MSG Scott Carney

*  Invocation by Chaplain Skip Manus

* Roll Call of the 117 Iowa fallen service members, read by Charlie Sherpa

* Playing of Taps

* National Anthem by Sydney Lett

* Celebrity Announcer, Eddie Hatfield of 92.5 KJJY

Following the run, the Jason Brown Band will perform and participants will be served Jethro’s BBQ. Throughout the event, MidAmerican Energy will hoist Iowa Remembers’ American flag — once flown in Afghanistan — high above the finish line.

There will be 117 flags lining the entire 5K course, each accompanied by a plaque honoring every fallen hero, bearing their photograph and name. Participants often stop along the course to honor loved ones lost.

Iowa Remembers organizes the event. Founded in 2010, Iowa Remembers is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-runcharity that supports Iowans with ties to the military — including families of the fallen, wounded veterans, and current military service members.

Proceeds from Iowa Remembers’ yearly Remembrance Run fund the Annual Retreat for Iowa Families of Fallen Service Members. The private retreat, hosted by Survivor Outreach Services, is for family members in Iowa who have lost a service member. The meeting provides the families with useful resources and support, and facilitates a peer network for the participants. The retreat is held the same weekend as the Remembrance Run.