People are shown participating in a previous year’s Indiana Run for the Fallen. This year’s event is Friday, May 12, to Sunday, May 14. Photo provided.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Lance Cpl. David Fribley, Staff Sgt. Brock Beery, Capt. Michael “Todd” Fiscus and Staff Sgt. James Snyder were four of the U.S. service members killed in the War on Terror.

Those men with ties to Kosciusko County will be honored along more than 550 other fallen Hoosier military members in the ninth Indiana Run for the Fallen. Runners will travel 140 miles over Friday, May 12, to Sunday, May 14.

The run starts in Fort Wayne, with a ceremony at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum at 7 a.m. May 12, and then winds south, culminating in a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. May 14 at Indianapolis’ Veterans Memorial Plaza.

Along the way, runners will pause after every mile to read the names of several Hoosier service members who passed away directly in or as a result of the War on Terror and in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

One of those runners is Johnny Butler of Atwood.

He’s been participating annually since first running in America’s Run for the Fallen, a similar event that traveled through Kosciusko County while going from California to Washington, D.C., in 2018. America’s Run was put on by the national organization Honor and Remember, with Indiana’s run by its state chapter.

Butler is the son of a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War.

“Growing up, most of the time if we went anywhere, it was to a VFW or an American Legion Post,” he said.

Hearing stories of how military members were treated in the Vietnam era and other factors motivated Butler to become involved in honoring military members.

He noted he’d just moved back to the area when Fribley, of Warsaw, the son of his high school track coach Gary Fribley, “was killed in action on March 23, 2003.”

“And that was just a big blow and then in the years following that … Indiana Patriot Guard riders had come about, so just all these little different pieces of supporting our veterans, supporting our active military, supporting our law enforcement from an honor, from a respect standpoint, remembering the fallen and just getting more involved,” he said.

Butler will serve as one of 18 core runners going the entire route. Those are set, but people may visit indiana.usarunforthefallen.org, click on “How It Works” under the “Run” tab and then “Sign Up To Run” to be a day runner.

Indiana Honor and Remember Director Don Finnegan noted those latter people should have their own transportation to get to run the portion they’re considering and have to keep pace with the regular runners of approximately nine minutes a mile.

Butler said some of the day runners have included first responders and members of the Gold Star families whose relatives’ names are being read at Hero Markers along the route.

At those spots, any members of the Gold Star families who show up regardless of whether they run are given flags and yellow roses.

The public is welcome to come to the run’s opening and closing ceremonies as well as stop at the Hero Markers.

Butler advises the public to use caution as getting to some of the Hero Markers is difficult due to where they’re located.

People may see a map of the Hero Markers by visiting the above website and clicking on “Route” under the “Run” tab and then each of the run days.

Some of the markers are not an exact mile from each other, explained Butler.

“Some are a little bit shorter, some are a little bit longer miles, you know just depending on locations on the road, so if it’s not a safe spot, (we go) a little bit further on to where we’ve got an apron we can pull up,” he said.

Financial support from the public is also appreciated, with people able to learn about giving and donating directly by clicking the “Donate” tab on the above website.

Funds pay for items such as the roses for Gold Star families, run T-shirts and supplies for the core runners. Butler said any not used for the run will go back to Honor and Remember, paying for Honor and Remember flags for military members killed in action or Honor and Sacrifice flags for first responders.

“We just really appreciate prayers and presence,” added Butler. “I would just really encourage anyone to come out and be at a stop for Gold Star families just to talk with them … I think people would definitely have a heart change of what it means to show honor and respect to our Gold Star family members (if they did so).”

“We don’t understand what it means to be a Gold Star family member, and I think this is just so important that we provide that honor and respect that really is necessary to remember them,” said Butler. “The founder George Lutz of Honor and Remember says that a hero, he’ll die twice. Once on the battlefield and again if that person’s name is never read off again out loud, and I think it’s just really important that we continue to remember these guys and gals who’ve given their life in service to our country.”

“Over 500 Hoosiers just in the last 23 years is significant to what it means for us to just to continue with freedom,” he added.