The Fort Bragg wear blue Chapter honors the Fallen, the Fighting, and the Familes
Published March 29, 2013
By the time Beth Stitt, a military wife of 20 years and avid runner, read of Wear Blue in a Washington Post article, the organization had grown from a handful of dedicated runners to an established nonprofit desiring to expand. Stitt and her family were preparing for their third move to Fort Bragg. She contacted Lisa Hallet and expressed her desire to create a Wear Blue chapter for Fayetteville.
Click here for the full article.
By the time Beth Stitt, a military wife of 20 years and avid runner, read of Wear Blue in a Washington Post article, the organization had grown from a handful of dedicated runners to an established nonprofit desiring to expand. Stitt and her family were preparing for their third move to Fort Bragg. She contacted Lisa Hallet and expressed her desire to create a Wear Blue chapter for Fayetteville.
Click here for the full article.
When moving on is a marathon
Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post
Published July 7, 2012
"In DUPONT, Wash.
At 9 a.m. the runners gather in a circle — as they do every Saturday morning — and bow their heads in a moment of silence for the 6,481 U.S. service members killed up to that point in Iraq and Afghanistan. One by one, they recite the names of the people for whom they are running. Lisa’s turn now.
“Captain John Hallett,” she says.
The group’s origins trace back to the first months after John’s death, when his battalion was averaging a fatality a week, the highest rate of any battalion in the war to that point. Lisa and some of the other spouses from the unit began meeting on Saturday mornings for runs. At first, she was the only widow among them."
Click HERE for the full article
"In DUPONT, Wash.
At 9 a.m. the runners gather in a circle — as they do every Saturday morning — and bow their heads in a moment of silence for the 6,481 U.S. service members killed up to that point in Iraq and Afghanistan. One by one, they recite the names of the people for whom they are running. Lisa’s turn now.
“Captain John Hallett,” she says.
The group’s origins trace back to the first months after John’s death, when his battalion was averaging a fatality a week, the highest rate of any battalion in the war to that point. Lisa and some of the other spouses from the unit began meeting on Saturday mornings for runs. At first, she was the only widow among them."
Click HERE for the full article
Lisa Hallett on remembering her husband, CPT John L. Hallett, III this Veteran's Day; Thurstontalk.com
Published November 11, 2011
Lisa knows the American population believes in their military and wants to support them. wear blue: run to remember is her attempt to bring the military and civilian communities together in the shared appreciation for the service and sacrifice.
Click HERE for the full article.
Lisa knows the American population believes in their military and wants to support them. wear blue: run to remember is her attempt to bring the military and civilian communities together in the shared appreciation for the service and sacrifice.
Click HERE for the full article.
NBC Bay Area KNTV: Lisa Hallett discusses wear blue and her Ultra Marathon
Lisa Hallett discusses wear blue and her Ultra Marathon.
View more videos at: http://www.nbcbayarea.com.
"San Francisco Marathon: Running to Remember loved ones lost in combat": Contra Costa Times
Photo by Karl Mondon
Published July 27, 2011
"Early Sunday, a team of about 30 runners in bright blue shirts will gather on the Embarcadero for the start of the San Francisco Marathon.Four-and-a-half miles away, near Crissy Field, many more blue-clad supporters will line the racecourse, handing out water, waving American flags and showing their support for the runners in blue.
For all of them, this marathon is about much more than the finish line. Running is the way they deal with grief. Most of them have lost someone in combat -- a brother, a father, a daughter."
Click HERE for the full article
"Early Sunday, a team of about 30 runners in bright blue shirts will gather on the Embarcadero for the start of the San Francisco Marathon.Four-and-a-half miles away, near Crissy Field, many more blue-clad supporters will line the racecourse, handing out water, waving American flags and showing their support for the runners in blue.
For all of them, this marathon is about much more than the finish line. Running is the way they deal with grief. Most of them have lost someone in combat -- a brother, a father, a daughter."
Click HERE for the full article
"War Widow Lisa Hallett runs to honor husband": The San Francisco Chronicle
Photo by Mike Kane / Special to the Chronicle
Published July 25, 2011
"...this coming Sunday, Hallett will bring her grief and her healing and her growing crowd of running comrades to San Francisco to try something she has never tried before. Hallett will attempt an ultra-marathon, or 52.4 miles, as she runs in the annual San Francisco Marathon. She says 26.2 miles has just become too easy for her - and easy alone doesn't properly honor her hero husband...
"To some people, being in the military seems simple," said Wear Blue member Georgie Hanlin. "You go around the world, people clap when you go through the airport. But it's a very serious life. No one likes war, but when you take that oath, you go and you do your duty.
"And sometimes you don't come home. Running helps us cope with that.""
Click HERE for the full article
"...this coming Sunday, Hallett will bring her grief and her healing and her growing crowd of running comrades to San Francisco to try something she has never tried before. Hallett will attempt an ultra-marathon, or 52.4 miles, as she runs in the annual San Francisco Marathon. She says 26.2 miles has just become too easy for her - and easy alone doesn't properly honor her hero husband...
"To some people, being in the military seems simple," said Wear Blue member Georgie Hanlin. "You go around the world, people clap when you go through the airport. But it's a very serious life. No one likes war, but when you take that oath, you go and you do your duty.
"And sometimes you don't come home. Running helps us cope with that.""
Click HERE for the full article
"Runners wear blue at Rock 'n' Roll Marathon...": The Seattle Times
Photo by Ken Lambert
Published June 23, 2011
"That first group of 12, wearing blue Army physical-training shirts — John's favorite color — grew to the 23 who participated in the 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Seattle. A year later, wear blue: run to remember has grown to more than 250 members who will be in Seattle as runners or supporters.
[...]At the start of this year's marathon, the group will line up in the 17th corral — John was in the 1-17th Infantry — wearing matching blue shirts. The announcer will read the names of 43 soldiers killed and, when the race begins, they will create a living memorial moving along the course.
They will also operate a water station 7 ½ miles into the race as the course bends around Lake Washington. Competitors will first pass a sign that reads wear blue: run to remember. A second sign will read, "Honoring the service and sacrifice of the American military." Full-sized American flags will each have a black ribbon with the name of a soldier embroidered in gold. John Hallett's flag will be held by his parents, John and Wendy.
"We want to humanize the loss," Lisa Hallett said. "John's not a number, he's my husband. He's my best friend. He likes Jack in the Box. He doesn't like to shave on the weekends. He's a very real person who lived a very real life. But when you don't know John, he does become a number and just another casualty. We really want people to connect with the faces and the families and the realness of this loss."
[...]She is grateful for memorials that honor the sacrifices of military members but says, "They're rocks. They're stuck here. We become the memorial ourselves when we choose to live and push forward in a sea of blue and say we live in honor of the lives that were given in sacrifice to our nation. On race day this year we're going to have more than 250 people in blue. Give us five, 10 years, we're going to have 26,000 people in blue rather than 26,000 people passing blue."" Click HERE for the full article
"That first group of 12, wearing blue Army physical-training shirts — John's favorite color — grew to the 23 who participated in the 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Seattle. A year later, wear blue: run to remember has grown to more than 250 members who will be in Seattle as runners or supporters.
[...]At the start of this year's marathon, the group will line up in the 17th corral — John was in the 1-17th Infantry — wearing matching blue shirts. The announcer will read the names of 43 soldiers killed and, when the race begins, they will create a living memorial moving along the course.
They will also operate a water station 7 ½ miles into the race as the course bends around Lake Washington. Competitors will first pass a sign that reads wear blue: run to remember. A second sign will read, "Honoring the service and sacrifice of the American military." Full-sized American flags will each have a black ribbon with the name of a soldier embroidered in gold. John Hallett's flag will be held by his parents, John and Wendy.
"We want to humanize the loss," Lisa Hallett said. "John's not a number, he's my husband. He's my best friend. He likes Jack in the Box. He doesn't like to shave on the weekends. He's a very real person who lived a very real life. But when you don't know John, he does become a number and just another casualty. We really want people to connect with the faces and the families and the realness of this loss."
[...]She is grateful for memorials that honor the sacrifices of military members but says, "They're rocks. They're stuck here. We become the memorial ourselves when we choose to live and push forward in a sea of blue and say we live in honor of the lives that were given in sacrifice to our nation. On race day this year we're going to have more than 250 people in blue. Give us five, 10 years, we're going to have 26,000 people in blue rather than 26,000 people passing blue."" Click HERE for the full article
"Army Widow Channels Grief into Running": NPR news
Photo by Chantal Anderson
Published June 22, 2011
"This weekend, an Army widow named Lisa Hallett will lead a group of runners in Seattle's Rock 'n' Roll marathon and half-marathon. They are members of a running club that formed during an especially deadly deployment of Washington-based soldiers to Afghanistan. For Hallett and her teammates, running has become not only a way to remember their loved ones, but an outlet for their grief...
Last year 23 of them ran Seattle's Rock 'n' Roll marathon or half-marathon. This year more than a hundred are running...Back at the training run in DuPont, Lisa Hallett presses into her 14-mile run. Even though Wear Blue started out as a group of Army wives, Hallett wants it to be something more: a place for battle-scarred soldiers to come to remember and heal too.
She notes one of the leading causes of death among active duty military is suicide. "You just want to fix it. And I can't fix it," Hallett said. "Men and women who've lost friends they can't fix it. You can't bring somebody's life back. It's not something we can sew up."She continued, "But we can live and we can live in a positive way and build a community of people that choose to live in a positive way and to appreciate the sacrifices that were made. You can't just walk away from this and forget."
Click HERE For the full article
"This weekend, an Army widow named Lisa Hallett will lead a group of runners in Seattle's Rock 'n' Roll marathon and half-marathon. They are members of a running club that formed during an especially deadly deployment of Washington-based soldiers to Afghanistan. For Hallett and her teammates, running has become not only a way to remember their loved ones, but an outlet for their grief...
Last year 23 of them ran Seattle's Rock 'n' Roll marathon or half-marathon. This year more than a hundred are running...Back at the training run in DuPont, Lisa Hallett presses into her 14-mile run. Even though Wear Blue started out as a group of Army wives, Hallett wants it to be something more: a place for battle-scarred soldiers to come to remember and heal too.
She notes one of the leading causes of death among active duty military is suicide. "You just want to fix it. And I can't fix it," Hallett said. "Men and women who've lost friends they can't fix it. You can't bring somebody's life back. It's not something we can sew up."She continued, "But we can live and we can live in a positive way and build a community of people that choose to live in a positive way and to appreciate the sacrifices that were made. You can't just walk away from this and forget."
Click HERE For the full article
"Williamson Runs to Honor Son": theadvertiser.com
Published June 22, 2011
"It hasn't been easy training for her first marathon in 20 years. Each day has combined blazing temperatures and an ongoing draught, making it feel like she's running in an oven
But each step brings Williamson closer to her goal of honoring her son, Patrick Williamson, a U.S. Army sergeant killed in action in Afghanistan on Oct. 27, 2009. When she runs in Saturday's Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Seattle, Williamson will return to the area where her son was stationed from 2007 to 2009 before his deployment.
Williamson is part of a national movement formed in Seattle called Wear Blue: Run to Remember. Its vision is to establish a running community that serves as a living memorial to soldiers who made the ultimate Sacrifice in the line of duty."
Click HERE for the full article
"It hasn't been easy training for her first marathon in 20 years. Each day has combined blazing temperatures and an ongoing draught, making it feel like she's running in an oven
But each step brings Williamson closer to her goal of honoring her son, Patrick Williamson, a U.S. Army sergeant killed in action in Afghanistan on Oct. 27, 2009. When she runs in Saturday's Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Seattle, Williamson will return to the area where her son was stationed from 2007 to 2009 before his deployment.
Williamson is part of a national movement formed in Seattle called Wear Blue: Run to Remember. Its vision is to establish a running community that serves as a living memorial to soldiers who made the ultimate Sacrifice in the line of duty."
Click HERE for the full article
"Runners...remember fallen 5th brigade members": The News Tribune
Photo by News Tribune photographer Janet Jensen
Published May 29, 2011
"Many runners wear blue shirts listing the names of fallen soldiers from Capt. Hallett’s unit, the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. They hope to launch chapters at other military bases where service members can “wear blue to remember” the sacrifices of fallen friends.
“It’s recognizing the incredible gift that’s been given to our nation, the gift of life,” Hallett said. She and other runners intend to deliver that message next month at Seattle’s Rock n’ Roll Marathon, where their supporters plan to line the race’s fifth mile with American flags. Families of fallen soldiers from all over the country are joining them, remembering loved ones they lost from the 5th Brigade.
“It’s going to be incredible to show up to a race and see a mass of blue and know that those people are there to support a fallen soldier,” Hallett said. “We want blue to be the new pink.”"
Click HERE for the full article
"Many runners wear blue shirts listing the names of fallen soldiers from Capt. Hallett’s unit, the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. They hope to launch chapters at other military bases where service members can “wear blue to remember” the sacrifices of fallen friends.
“It’s recognizing the incredible gift that’s been given to our nation, the gift of life,” Hallett said. She and other runners intend to deliver that message next month at Seattle’s Rock n’ Roll Marathon, where their supporters plan to line the race’s fifth mile with American flags. Families of fallen soldiers from all over the country are joining them, remembering loved ones they lost from the 5th Brigade.
“It’s going to be incredible to show up to a race and see a mass of blue and know that those people are there to support a fallen soldier,” Hallett said. “We want blue to be the new pink.”"
Click HERE for the full article
wear blue: run to remember featured on King 5
"Moving Comfort": Runner's World
Image by Jose Mandojana
From the February 2011 edition
"It's her mantra: Run for John, run for me, just one more step. For Lisa Hallett, whether solo in a marathon or with her kids in their mammoth, triple-wide jogging stroller during training, running is how she deals with the pain, the loss, and the memory..."
Click HERE for the full article
Click HERE for Jose Mandojana's Blog with additional photos from the Runner's World Shoot
"It's her mantra: Run for John, run for me, just one more step. For Lisa Hallett, whether solo in a marathon or with her kids in their mammoth, triple-wide jogging stroller during training, running is how she deals with the pain, the loss, and the memory..."
Click HERE for the full article
Click HERE for Jose Mandojana's Blog with additional photos from the Runner's World Shoot
"Running to Honor": The Ranger
Photo by Kelly Gagnard
Published March 28, 2011
" "In its infancy, wear blue:run to remember was a group of wives surviving a terrifying deployment and attending too many memorials," explained Hallett. "One year later, we exist because the loss of these Soldiers affects everyone, not just the spouses left behind. We invite anyone to join us; each step a celebration of the lives we have been gifted, and therefore, each step a tribute to our fallen husbands, sons, brothers, cousins, nephews, and uncles, who cannot take those steps." "
Click HERE for the full article
" "In its infancy, wear blue:run to remember was a group of wives surviving a terrifying deployment and attending too many memorials," explained Hallett. "One year later, we exist because the loss of these Soldiers affects everyone, not just the spouses left behind. We invite anyone to join us; each step a celebration of the lives we have been gifted, and therefore, each step a tribute to our fallen husbands, sons, brothers, cousins, nephews, and uncles, who cannot take those steps." "
Click HERE for the full article
"Runners Honor the Fallen": Northwest Guardian
Photo by Ingrid Barrentine
Published March 3, 2011
"Upon meeting Nancy Pardo, one might find it hard to believe that the noticeably fit woman used to hate running and struggled to jog short distances. That changed a few months ago after one of Pardo’s friends encouraged her to link up with the local running group, “wear blue: run to remember.”
The DuPont resident frequently saw members of the group running through her neighborhood, and subsequently, her interest in the group grew. She began attending the group’s weekend runs late last year, and within weeks noticed a change in her body and attitude towards running."
Click HERE for the full article
"Upon meeting Nancy Pardo, one might find it hard to believe that the noticeably fit woman used to hate running and struggled to jog short distances. That changed a few months ago after one of Pardo’s friends encouraged her to link up with the local running group, “wear blue: run to remember.”
The DuPont resident frequently saw members of the group running through her neighborhood, and subsequently, her interest in the group grew. She began attending the group’s weekend runs late last year, and within weeks noticed a change in her body and attitude towards running."
Click HERE for the full article
"Running to Heal, Remember": Northwest Guardian
Photo by Susanne Jenneman
Published July 29, 2010
"What started as three wives running had evolved into a support network. “For a lot of us, running really became a stabilizer — a way for us to work through the intensity and stress of a deployment,” Lisa said.
...Wearing blue shirts with “Run To Remember” on the front and names of the brigade’s fallen Soldiers on the back, the ladies stretch, socialize, then join hands. One of the wives says a prayer, then closes by reading names of the brigade’s 41 fallen service members. It’s a reminder to everyone that war comes with a price, and for the wives who lost husbands, it’s reassurance that they will not be forgotten."
Click HERE for the full article.
"What started as three wives running had evolved into a support network. “For a lot of us, running really became a stabilizer — a way for us to work through the intensity and stress of a deployment,” Lisa said.
...Wearing blue shirts with “Run To Remember” on the front and names of the brigade’s fallen Soldiers on the back, the ladies stretch, socialize, then join hands. One of the wives says a prayer, then closes by reading names of the brigade’s 41 fallen service members. It’s a reminder to everyone that war comes with a price, and for the wives who lost husbands, it’s reassurance that they will not be forgotten."
Click HERE for the full article.
wear blue: run to remember featured on Seattle's Q13 Fox
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