On April 16 about 25 police officers and veterans will begin a 600-mile continuous relay run from Journal Square to Camp Lejeune, NC, to honor wounded combat veterans and raise money for their care.
"It's easy to forget about these guys and to forget what kind of real sacrifices are being made and for a lot of them, the war may be over but their fight is just starting," said Iraq war veteran and Jersey City Police Officer Collin Congleton of the Honor Courage Commitment Run.
Donations to the run organized by the Jersey City Police Department Marine Corps Association will go to the US Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, the Wounded Warrior Project, and to fund the run.
"Half the mission of the run is to say, 'Hey, we are doing this for you. We have not forgotten you.' and the organizations need the money," said Congleton, who served a tour in Iraq as a Humvee turret gunner and a second as a sniper.
Runners include Marine Corps veterans, Army veterans and police officers from Jersey City, West New York, Newark, NJ State Police and Port Authority police, Congleton said today. There are 24 men and one woman participating.
On April 16 at 10 a.m. there will be a ceremony at the Purple Heart Memorial on Journal Square to kick-off the run which will end the morning of April 21 at the Beirut Memorial at Camp Lejeune, Congleton said. Each participant will run about three miles, and then rest in a trailer as another runner takes over.
A marked Jersey City police van will trail the runners as they pass through New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Each state will provide a state police vehicle as the 24 hour per day run passes through its territory.
Donations to the non-profit organization can be made on its website at hccrun.com. Participants also hope to collect donations on Journal Square and along the route. Links to the two organizations benefiting from the run are on the run's website, as is additional information on the run and its history.
Congleton said the event was inspired by a similar fund-raiser in 1985 known as The Liberty Run in which a group of active duty marines returning from Beirut ran from Camp Lejeune to Liberty State Park.
The Liberty Run Marines raised about $5,000 for restoration of the Statue of Liberty and some of those Marines will participate in the upcoming run. The Honor Courage Commitment Run website includes a video on the 1985 event.Run JCPD, RUN!