After nearly a decade of grief, Ken Walker is choosing to do hard things again. As a Gold Star Husband honoring SPC Zandra “Niecy” Walker, KIA August 15, 2007, Ken is stepping into the Cowtown Half Marathon with the wear blue Gold Star and Survivor Endurance Program cohort. Each purposeful mile is part of his journey back to strength, resilience, and rediscovering love even in loss.

Jes Brouillette runs for his son, PO2 Chase Brouillette, carrying forward a legacy of faith, discipline, and service. What began as his first race just months after Chase’s death has become a “challenge to excellence,” a commitment to honor his son’s life while modeling strength, courage, and purpose for his family through every mile.

Fifteen years after losing her father, CW5 David R. Carter, Kaitlen Carter is stepping into her first half marathon with purpose. As a member of wear blue’s Gold Star and Survivor Endurance Program training for the Cowtown Half Marathon, Kaitlen runs to honor her dad’s life and legacy while reclaiming her own strength. Through movement, remembrance, and community, she is discovering that healing can happen one courageous mile at a time.

After the loss of her brother, CW3 Zachary “Zac” Esparza, Rebecca Esparza searched for a way to carry her grief while staying present for her growing family. What began as a personal outlet through movement has become a powerful journey of remembrance and resilience as she trains for her first half marathon with the wear blue Gold Star and Survivor Endurance Program. Through community, connection, and each purposeful step, Rebecca honors Zac’s adventurous spirit while discovering strength greater than her grief.

Christine Wood is training for her first half marathon with the wear blue Gold Star and Survivor Endurance Program at the Cowtown Half Marathon, honoring her son, Navy GMSN Devin Fasulo, with every mile. Balancing full time work, motherhood, and her micro sourdough bakery, Christine steps forward through movement, remembrance, and community. Her journey reflects resilience, purpose, and the enduring bond between a mother, her children, and the legacy she carries forward.

As the youngest of five siblings, Haley Hinkefent runs the Cowtown Half Marathon carrying the legacy of her brother, Coleman Wayne Hinkefent, U.S. Army. Alongside her sister Erica and a cohort of Gold Star and Survivor Endurance Program athletes, Haley finds strength through faith, family, and the call to keep moving forward with purpose. Each step is a reminder that life continues after loss, and that remembrance can be lived out through endurance, community, and love.

An ER nurse and Gold Star sister, Erica Snyder runs in honor of her brother, PFC Coleman Hinkefent. Through wear blue, she revisits cherished memories, carries his legacy forward, and finds healing under the sunsets that remind her he is still near.

As she approaches the 10-year anniversary of her twin brother’s passing, Adena Crider is honoring his life through purposeful movement. Running in memory of Sgt. James Matthew “Matt” Crider, Adena has found healing, connection, and courage through the wear blue Gold Star Survivor Endurance Program, turning grief into action and remembrance into meaningful steps forward.

Juanita Bowling is a devoted mother, volunteer, and Gold Star mother honoring the life and legacy of her son, PFC Frank Jeremy Castillo, U.S. Army. Through running, service, and a steadfast commitment to self-care, Juanita transforms grief into purposeful action, carrying Frank’s name forward with every mile she runs. As a Cowtown Half Marathon athlete in the Gold Star and Survivor Endurance Program, she inspires strength, balance, and hope in communities across Texas and beyond.

What began as a quiet sunrise hike through Phoenix’s Papago Park became an unexpected encounter with active remembrance. As the desert sky slowly filled with light, Phillip D. Cortez found himself standing within the Tribute wear blue Mile surrounded by Gold Star and Surviving families, flag bearers, and the faces of fallen service members honored one by one. In that stillness, amid prayers, flags, and footsteps, the silence of the desert gave way to stories of love, loss, and a community determined to ensure that no name is ever forgotten.

Read the full story, “Active Remembrance: When the Desert Silence Finds a Voice,” by Phillip D. Cortez.