Now I would be making my final run in the Navy as part of the 34th Marine Corps Marathon, unsure of what the future held for me.
The start of the Marine Corps Marathon is always difficult because you're running uphill as soon as you get to Roslyn. After scaling the hill and on the downstretch, I saw a girl who I recognized was on TV earlier in the week -- her name was Monica Velez and she was interviewed on CNN by Kyra Phillips.
Growing up in Lubbock, Texas, Monica Velez looked out for her two brothers, Jose and Andrew.
Acting as a surrogate Mom, the three siblings ran with their Dad who ran almost daily around their rural community in Lubbock, Texas. Running was their passion and what bound the four together.
In Nov 2004, Cpl Jose "Freddy" Velez was killed by a sniper's bullet in Fallujah. His brother Spc. Andrew Velez who was serving in southern Iraq, identified Freddy's body and accompanied him home..
After Andrew arrived in Afghanistan in 2006, he killed himself with a machine gun.
In a period of 18 months, Monica had lost her two brothers who she had loved and admired so much.
There's never a difficult or challenging time that she doesn't think of them. And today during the Marathon, she will remember and appreciate their sacrifices they made for their country.
Monica wants to raise awareness on the plight of those who have lost a sibling, what some call "disenfranchised grief."
Thanks to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Monica has been able to not only get counseling from the VA, but has also been able to go online to reach out and share with TAPS's large network of siblings.
After hearing her story, I realized that I shouldn't be so down on myself. Monica Velez thought positive -- I could do the same.
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