All You Need to Know: Jacksonville Run

If you're participating in this Saturday's Run For The Warriors® in Jacksonville, NC, here's all the information you need to know about packet pick-up, registration, and scheduling.

Friday, May 16, 2014
11:00 am - 1:00 pm--Packet Pick-up at Marston Pavilion, aboard Camp Lejeune
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm--Packet Pick-up at the Jacksonville High School Stadium 

Saturday, May 17, 2014
6:00 am - 7:00 am--Same Day Registration & Packet Pick-up at the Jacksonville High School Stadium
6:50 am--Opening Ceremony 
7:00 am--Half Marathon Start (Each race will begin 5 minutes after the start of the previous race in order)
10K Start 
5K Start 
1-Mile Walk/Run Start 

11:00 am--Award Ceremony

Not running but want to help?  We can always use more volunteers!  Contact Leslie Hunt for more details.

Vintage T Anyone?

This is the 9th annual run in Jacksonville which means that we have a lot of different T-shirt designs out there!  Wear your vintage Run For The Warriors® T-shirt on Saturday and show us your long-time support to Hope For The Warriors® and to our military families!

Bonus Tips for Race Day:

We strongly encourage you to do packet pick-up Friday, May 16, to save time Saturday morning. We also recommend getting to the race early on Saturday to ensure that you are there for the ceremony and the race start.

Happy running!

New Meaning for the Marine Corps Marathon

The following was written by Tiffany, a Marine Corps spouse who shares her account of how Hope For The Warriors® supported her young family from day one.

My husband Jeff has been part of Team Hope For The Warriors® as a handcyclist for a year now. Through Team Hope For The Warriors®, he has made some amazing friends and has been able to attend some races he's been wanting to do for quite some time. When the Marine Corps Marathon date was released for 2013, he really wanted to go, not only because he's a Marine but also because it was on his birthday. Hope For The Warriors® contacted him about attending and he jumped at the chance. I was 29 weeks pregnant when we flew to Washington DC for the marathon and little did I know that Hope For The Warriors® would be our angel in disguise. 

We went to the Team dinner Saturday night and I started having some pains. Jeff thought it may be from all the walking around so we left the dinner early to relax at the hotel. About 10:30 p.m., I was in a lot of pain and it wasn't going away. When Jeff called the Team director and asked where the closest hospital was, she decided to come to the hotel and take us herself. As it turns out I was in active labor, which couldn't be stopped. 

Our beautiful baby girl was delivered via emergency c-section on October 27, 2013 at 1:23 a.m. She was 2 lbs 8 oz, 12 inches long. We named her Emmalyn Arlene Chaffin. She shares her birthday with my husband. Jeff went on to complete the marathon on zero sleep and even made a PR. Hope For The Warriors® president came and visited me in the hospital, which was amazing. She said they would help us in any way they could. Hope For The Warriors® really helped us when we needed it the most. 

After I got discharged from the hospital, they got me a rental car so I could get to and from the hospital. They provided us with a social worker on their staff, who was always there to answer any questions, help me with the meetings with the doctors, and to just be there for emotional support. Six weeks later Texas Children’s Hospital picked us up, allowing Emmalyn and I to be reunited with my husband and two boys. Emmalyn was discharged from the NICU on Christmas Eve and it was the best Christmas gift. I'm so thankful to the entire Hope For The Warriors® Team for everything they did for us during that time, I can honestly say I don't know what we would have done without them.

Liberation Day: Honor and Remember

Dutch Children performed songs and dances for their Liberators

People often ask why I work for Hope For The Warriors® and why this work is so important to me.  The honor that I give to service members and veterans is directly related to my parents.

Liberation Day is May 5 in The Netherlands, the day that the country was freed from Nazi rule back in 1945.  My parents immigrated to the United States in 1956 with very little.  But coming to the United States with almost nothing, was better than trying to farm in a small country, still struggling after two world wars.

My parents knew firsthand the terror of living under the rule of an evil leader.  They knew the fear of an unexpected knock at the door and unwelcome German soldiers searching their home.  My parents tell stories of home searches—Germans looking for both people as well as hidden food supplies.  Their voices still held some of their fears as they shared their stories, but also some pride in the tricks that were used and never discovered.

My Mother with her family

My mother’s family had a shelter—dug just large enough for her parents, herself, and her ten brothers and sisters(Yes…13 of them!). And yet they still managed to hide one or two Allie soldiers that were separated from their platoon.  My father biked throughout his farming community, collecting food on a little cart that trailed behind him.  It was not until years later that he learned that the food was for those fighting in the resistance. 

My father on his farm

My daughter once interviewed my parents for her history project and asked the question, “Who was your hero?”  My parents quickly responded, “We had no heroes.  If you looked to anyone as a hero, they would have been taken away and killed.”

The Allies and the Liberation of the Netherlands changed that.  The service members became their heroes and that has never changed, even 70 years later.  Because of those men, I did not have the same experiences that my parents had growing up.  I have no idea what it is like to live in fear of a knock on the door.

Growing up, Memorial Day meant parades in my small town. Following the parade was a Memorial Day Service, honoring those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.  As a child, I wanted to run off with my friends but my mom never allowed that.  My mom’s life, and therefore my life, would have been significantly different had it not been for the sacrifices of those who served. Those men paid the ultimate sacrifice, giving me the life I have today.  She was determined that I learn this important lesson.

My parents married in 1956 and boarded this ship 10 days later

Not everyone can draw such a direct line from these sacrifices to his or her daily life.  Yet each one of us lives in a country with freedoms and privileges vastly greater than the majority of people in this world. My mom and dad’s experiences allowed me to see both ends of the freedom spectrum, and thanks to that important lesson, I recognize the need to thank and support our military. And perhaps even more important, because of the thousands of men and women who have served and continue to serve in our military, I am conscious of and grateful for these freedoms for my parents, my family, and myself.

Military Sexual Assault: What I Want My Community to Know

Written by Andrea Cilento

As we wrap up April, National Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Month, we reflect on the continued efforts to end Military Sexual Assault and one survivor’s words to her community.  Military Sexual Assault affects men and women in all military branches.  According to the Department of Defense (DoD), an estimated 19,300 sexual assaults occurred in 2010 and only 13.5% were reported.  Sexual violence has devastating, pervasive effects on survivors and their families and negatively impacts the cohesion and strength of the United States Military.  Major General Jeffrey J. Snow, USA, Director of the DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) spoke earlier this month at Fort Belvoir and emphasized that the DoD is “attacking sexual assault from all sides.” (Link)  He highlighted this as a multifaceted societal problem that will not be solved by policy changes alone.  Instead, he stated, “We all have a critical role in preventing and responding to sexual assault,” and further elaborated that it takes social courage to recognize and speak up when witnessing inappropriate behavior.  This includes providing empathy and support for those who are being mistreated.

Catherine Bane, a member of Hope For The Warriors® Women Veterans Initiative and Team Hope For The Warriors®, shares her story of surviving military sexual assault in hopes to benefit not only other survivors, but the military and veteran community.

“I was raped many years ago, and just recently could say and believe it wasn’t my fault. I am proud of my service and proud to have served as a soldier. But I was let down by my command and my peers. I did have some amazing support from a few, who I will never forget, and it is because of those few I am where I am today.” 

Catherine shared her account of what she wishes her community had known, and how they could have better supported her.

“Military values-Marines and Navy: Honor. Courage. Commitment.  Air Force: Integrity first. Service before self. Excellence in all we do.  Army: Loyalty. Duty. Respect. Selfless service. Integrity. Honor. Personal courage.  Coast Guard: Honor. Respect. Devotion to duty.

We live and die by these core values. We build bonds others will never understand. We trust and stand side by side ready to defend and die together.  There is no better time to live these values than when one of our own is attacked and violated on our military bases, here in the states or abroad.  No one asks or deserves to be attacked. Prove that to them. Show them they still have worth, value, and are still respected. You may not know what to do or say, but do not judge. Be there to help. This is a wound that water and ibuprofen will not heal. There is no walking this off. This is something that a man or woman will have to deal with for the rest of his or her life. And you, as their leaders, their supervisors, their peers, will make the difference in how they will heal; that means in the office, in the barracks, out in town, anywhere we should be taking care of each other and ourselves. Do not be silent or ignore.  The smallest act of support can make the biggest difference.  They will remember it and hold it with them.  Let justice take its course and help our brothers and sisters in arms regain their strength and self worth.

Healing my wounds has been a very long and hard road. I wanted to give up. I felt so worthless and alone. I lived through anxiety attacks, sleepless nights, torn relationships, night terrors, and feelings and thoughts no one who hasn’t been attacked will ever understand. I felt alone and in desperate need of hope. I needed support. I needed guidance. I needed help. I needed to know that I had value and was not an object. I needed to know I could trust in my peers again. I needed assurance I was not alone and my brothers and sisters in arms were there to support and protect me, as they would on the battlefield.  I needed them to speak up on my behalf, not betray or turn their backs. To speak up before it happened and after. To put my value as a human person before their career.  I needed a friend. I needed hope.

I speak out to help my fellow service members know that they are so amazing and so strong no matter what has happened to them. They have been through things most can never imagine. They have survived and are living. To be honest in all we do, to protect and defend each other, we all need military sexual assault to stop. To be true Marines, Sailors, Soldiers, and Air Men, we need to fight and work together, not against each other. Bad things happen out of our control, but there is hope if we choose to heal and work together.  If we choose to not give up, not let go, and to move forward one day at a time together, there is hope.”

Catherine first connected with Hope For The Warriors® and completed her first half marathon at the inaugural Jacksonville Half Marathon on May 15, 2010.  Since then, she has joined Hope For The Warriors® for several runs, completed many half marathons, two full marathons and even an ultra.  In addition to participating in several Hope For The Warriors® events, Catherine is a peer mentor for the Women Veterans Initiative and Hope For The Warriors® volunteer.  Thank you, Catherine, for your courage and generosity in sharing your story to help sexual assault survivors and your community.

If you have experienced military sexual assault and are in need of assistance, please contact the DoD Safe Helpline for confidential crisis intervention, support and information at 877.995.5247 or by visiting the website.  You can also visit myduty.mil for a variety of resources including guidance, rights, reporting options, and resources by branch.