A Remembrance Run

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C. I went for a run on The Mall – from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. It was something I had wanted to do for years but I hadn’t planned on the impact it would have on me.

It was a clear spring evening, the sun was setting and a soft breeze was blowing off the Potomac. I started at the foot of the Capitol steps and found my pace on the path under the trees. I paused along the way at the WWII and Korean War Memorials. Further down The Mall was the Vietnam Memorial and I felt compelled to linger since the draft ended just months before my eighteenth birthday. “That could have been me” I said to myself were it not for the random good luck of my birthdate.

My run and journey of remembrance culminated at the Lincoln Memorial. I read the Gettysburg Address inscribed on the wall honoring those that “gave the last full measure of devotion.” I reflected again on my good fortune – to be an American and the beneficiary of everyone who has died in service to our country. Let us all remember our fallen heroes this Memorial Day.

Contributed by,

David Heneghan