Thanking heroes

Andrew Whitacre.
Nick Taylor.
David Fribley.
They are three young men, all with ties to the local community, who have died serving their country.
A group of runners will make sure their names, and those of so many others, are not forgotten.
Thirteen runners, including Portland’s Donald Gillespie, will lead the 144-mile Indiana Run for the Fallen Friday through Sunday to honor all of those who have died in military service during the war on terror.
“I think what they’re doing is wonderful with honoring so many at once,” said Norma Whitacre, whose stepson Andrew, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, was killed in Afghanistan in 2008. “It’s important. I know there are so many others that’s been killed. It means a lot to us to show that people still care. It just … I guess I can’t really put that into words what it means to us.”
The tribute, the third of its kind in the nation, will begin with an opening ceremony at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.
Runners will be split into three teams of four, carrying the Indiana, United States and Honor and Remember flags along with the biography of a fallen soldier. They will stop each mile to spend time with a soldier’s family, read his or her biography and present an American flag. Along the way they will also present Honor and Remember flags to six families.
Each team will run for 2 to 6 miles, and then return to an accompanying recreational vehicle as another team takes over. The first day of the event is 52 miles from Fort Wayne to Portland, followed by another 52 miles Saturday to Anderson and a final 40 miles to conclude with a closing ceremony at 2:10 p.m. Sunday at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Indianapolis.
“We want to blaze a trail through Indiana for the fallen,” said Gillespie. “But more importantly the money that’s raised not only offsets the cost of the run but also it’s to be able to buy the Honor and Remember flag that can be presented to families of the fallen.”
Gillespie didn’t serve in the military, but learned about the run after organizers made a visit to a Portland City Council meeting. He wanted to help and offered his services, knowing that there was a chance the positions for runners would be reserved for veterans.
He shared his desire to honor Fribley, the grandson of former Portland residents Keith and Dot Gillespie, who was the first Indiana solider to die in the war on terror. A lance corporal in the Marine Corps, he was killed in combat on March 23, 2003, in Iraq.
Much to Gillespie’s surprise, two days later he got the call informing him he would be part of the running team.
“I’m lucky,” he said, noting that the group is made up predominantly of veterans and includes Marine Cpl. Matt Bowman, who lost both of his legs as the result of a 2011 explosion in Afghanistan. “To be a part of this group, I’m thrilled.”
Gillespie, who expects to run a minimum of 50 miles over three days, has been running more than 50 miles per week in preparation for the event. His regimen has included four sets of 6 miles each on Saturdays and Sundays, and he has also raised more than $1,000 for the cause as well as donations of supplies from local businesses
Gary and Linda Fribley, David’s parents, understand the effort it takes to be able to complete such a run, as Gary serves as the track coach at Plymouth High School. David Fribley was also a three-year letter winner in track for Warsaw High School.
“We appreciate all the work of all these people that are doing this,” said Linda Fribley. “We think this is an admirable way to help keep the honor of David’s sacrifice, and all the other fallen soldiers’ sacrifice, alive.”
Members of the public are invited to join in the run behind the core runners, with a group of Jay County High School students already committed to do so.
Running two miles apiece will be Sok Vormohr, Nick Clemens, Colton Compton, Conner Daniels and Brian Clevenger. Bret Trissel and Daniel Meranda, who have both enlisted in the military, will each run four miles.
Gillespie has also recruited groups form Delta, Muncie Central, Pendleton Heights and Daleville high schools to be part of the tribute.
“It’s just one of the ways I can help, in a way, support fallen soldiers and the families of the fallen soldiers,” said Trissel, a Redkey resident who will leave June 2 for basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. “I’m all about helping those who fought before me. They gave me the chance to serve after them, and this is my way of … showing appreciation.”
The opening day of the run will be mostly on U.S. 27 with a stop at 2 p.m. near the clock tower in Berne to honor Taylor, a South Adams High School graduate and Army specialist who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. Runners will reach Geneva at 2:50 p.m., and the memorial for Whitacre will be at 3:30 p.m. at Bryant Wesleyan Church.
Gillespie has a special pair of Asics — orange and black, Warsaw’s colors, with Fribley’s name on the back — he will wear only for the mile leading up to his relative’s marker at R. Davis and Sons Construction north of Portland. That stop is scheduled for 4:20 p.m., and he plans to continue into the city, reaching the north side at 4:30 p.m. and Freedom Park 10 minutes later.
In addition to the option of joining in for the run, organizers hope area residents will line Meridian Street in Portland to cheer on runners as they pass through the city. They are also seeking for a strong send-off for those involved as they depart at 7:30 a.m. Saturday from Freedom Park for the second leg of the run, which will start west on Water Street and Tyson Road, then southwest on Indiana 67 with a stop in Redkey at 9:30 a.m.
“I think they ought to support not the runners themselves, but what the runners are running for,” Gillespie said. “It’s not about me. It’s about the markers we’ll be stopping at — I call them the heroes — and Jay County has always been good to their people.”