On the 36th day of Run for the Fallen, the cross-country memorial relay for soldiers killed in Iraq, a flag was planted in memory of Hamilton alumnus Michael Cleary '03. Members of the relay team attached the flag to a placard detailing Cleary's life and service at 9:30 a.m. CDT on Sunday, July 20. Cleary's flag was the 29th of 58 flags planted during the day's 58-mile run between Winfield and Longton Kansas.
Those present included Cleary's fiancée Erin Kavanagh, his sister Shannon Cleary, Run for the Fallen organizer Jon Bellona '03 and his brother Dave, John McKay '04, BJ Gardiner '03 and Rowland Boateng '03 along with Eric '08 and Taylor Janes '06 and their mother Patti and sister Rebecca. Operation Honor Our Heroes board members Nancy Glass and Lauren McIntyre drove alongside the team for the memorial mile with a banner with Cleary's photograph displayed on their truck. Jack '68 and Marianne Cleary, Michael's parents, and other family members ran a mile at home in Pennsylvania at the same time, 10:30 a.m. EDT.
The 72-day, 13-state run will end on Sunday, Aug. 24, at Arlington National Cemetery. On that day about 150 runners will take part in a ceremonial 10K race to the cemetery. A limited number of runners will enter the cemetery to plant the final flag while a bugler plays "Taps," according to Jon Bellona. On that day, the group also will be running to honor service members killed in Afghanistan and are encouraging all Americans join in the effort by running a mile.
"The whole thing started as a way to do something for Mikey. Something to make him proud and that would continue to tell his story," Bellona said in a recent Associated Press article. "The run gets its power, its strength and its depth from the fact that it is a simple project — it's a way to remember."
