Gold Star valor

We see so much stolen valor at all levels of society – clowns exaggerating their time in service (if indeed they ever actually WENT into the service – how many of you know a “I really wanted to sign up but XXX” – fill in whatever BS excuse applies?) Genuine stolen valor is pervasive.  It’s nice to see valor of the genuine sort, especially from a Gold Star Spouse. Keep reading.

Capt. Hallett, 30, died on August 25th, 2009, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Afghanistan. He was returning from delivering medicine to a village struck by cholera.

Hallett was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Three other soldiers — Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer and Pfc. Dennis M. William — also died in the blast.

Beside his wife, CPT Hallet left three young (3 years, one year, 3 weeks) children behind.

Lisa Hallet founded wear blue: run to remember (wearblue) to foster community for the families of service members who have died.

One day, as she sat in her car overcome with grief, her son Jackson asked her to stop crying because she was scaring him.

“They had already lost a parent to war,” Hallett said. “It wasn’t fair for them to lose me to grief.”

After his death, Hallett said she started running to feel her feelings and compartmentalize them in a way that allowed her to focus on raising the three children who needed her.

The first mile of the run, she’d think about her baby crying and the chaos of caring for three children alone. The second mile, she’d think about buying diapers. By mile five, she’d face the reality that her husband — who she’d known since elementary school — wasn’t coming home. By the end, she said she’d hit an emotional bottom, release, and return to the reality of caring for her kids.

Her solo runs eventually morphed into tandem runs with fellow Army wife Erin O’Connor, and soon those runs blossomed into an organization that has seen 45,000 people participate in its events.

This weekend her run is around Mt. Rainier… 150 kilometers worth. 93 miles. It isn’t Death Valley, but that is still a bad-ass run.

The trek around Mount Rainier is slated to take between 35 and 40 hours. In preparation, she’s been logging 40 to 75-mile runs a week.

Hallett said she chose Mount Rainier for its beauty and because her husband never got to touch the mountains or see his kids grow up or explore the world like they’d planned.

Her husband was her best friend, her better half, the father of her children, and they planned an extraordinary life together. But at some point, Hallett realized she needed to continue growing and shaping herself in ways that weren’t defined by her husband’s death.

“I never wanted to be John Hallett’s widow,” Hallett said. “But 15 years later, I don’t want to be known as John Hallett’s widow.”

She’s not doing baby steps, either.

The goal is to raise $150,000 for Gold Star families and survivors through the run. Supporters can make donations here.

The PenFed Foundation, a non-profit that helps provide financial opportunities to service members and veterans, is matching the first $25,000 in donations.

She mentioned when she finished her first big run after his death, the Seattle Marathon, she kept expecting him to call her to share the moment.

“Logically, I knew John wasn’t going to call,” she said. “But emotionally, it was hard to imagine having a big accomplishment in my life and my partner not being there.”

When crossing the finish line, Hallett said she expects to feel empowered and bolstered by the support of her running community.

But despite all the years, and the miles ran, Hallett said she suspects part of her will still be waiting for his call too.  Army Times

Running almost a hundred miles to raise money for other Gold Star families.

H/t to Jeff LPH for the story…but I doff my hat in respect for her. Good on yer, Lisa.

Category: Gold Star