Uncategorized – Page 3 – The Belmar Blog

Times are Approximate
Click the Image below for the Website.
There is a lot of information about the Individual Markers
and the Run which starts in Cape May.

The Honor Wall Trailer, with all the names and pictures of the Fallen Heroes, arrives first at each marker and the Run Team arrives 15-30 minutes later. Times are all approximate but there is usually a live feed on New Jersey Run for the Fallen | Facebook so you can see where they are.

NJ Run for the Fallen will be running through Belmar, on Ocean Ave, on Sunday, September 29th and will be stopping at two Hero Markers. There are no street closures and they are escorted by the State Police.

The First Marker on Ocean Ave is at the North Blvd beach entrance
approximately 9:07 am and is in honor of
Carlos M. Gonzales
Hometown: Passaic, New Jersey
Age: 22 years old
Died: March 16, 2006 in Operation Iraqi Freedom
Carlos Sr. and his wife Anna come up from Florida
to be at their son’s Hero Marker every year.

The Second Marker on Ocean Ave is at the flagpole between 5th & 6th Ave
at approximately 9:21 am and is in honor of
Campbell McKenna
Hometown: Shark River Hills, Neptune, NJ
Age: 21 years old
Died: August 27, 2003

Prior to the runners arriving there is a truck that has all the pictures of all the men & women that are being honored. The truck will stop for everyone to see.
Our fire departments will hang the Flag from their trucks at each marker.
5 years ago our goal was, and still is, to have the Boardwalk lined with people holding a flag while these Runners run through our town.
In this apolitical reflection of remembrance a team of military runners from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and other locations across the US will come together to embark on a 225+ mile journey to honor every New Jersey service member killed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn and other conflicts….

The Team begins their journey on Thursday 9/26/24 in Cape May reaching Belmar on Sunday 9/29/24 on their way to the NJ Gold Star Family Monument on the grounds of the NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial at the PNC Art Center. Our Team runs carrying 3 Flags plus an Individual Flag with an attached Bio card for the Hero. On arrival they will pass the 3 Run Flags to 3 waiting family members, friends or comrades, then a team member will read aloud the Bio, then step forward and place the Flag/Bio at the Hero Marker. Our team will then salute, step forward to greet family members, take back the Run Flags and proceed on to the next Marker.

Their mission is “to run one mile for each New Jersey service member who have died during the GWOT (Global War on Terror). Each mile of sweat and pain and each flag saluted, is to pay homage to one service member’s life and their family.”

This year we anticipate there will be individual Hero Markers spread over the length of the Run with the goal of creating a 225+ mile memorial trail through New Jersey.