On June 12, at 8:00, Staples English teacher Dan Geraghty will be participating in a half marathon (13.1 miles) in the effort of raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project, which will be taking place at Lake Placid.
“I was going to run the half marathon in shorts and sneakers, but after I heard about the mission of Bin Laden, it made me think of all of the survivors from 9/11, and all of the people with wounds that just never recovered,” Geraghty said.
Instead of running the marathon in shorts and sneakers, Geraghty will be running the marathon wearing his combat boots and rack along with 40 pounds attached to it.
Despite the enormous load of weight, nothing will be weighing him down. Geraghty has raised over $6,300 to date, and still counting. After word got around of his fundraising, he recently had an old childhood friend reach out to him, to commend him on his efforts as well as to join him the day of the event.
“John called and said ‘I’m coming to Lake Placid to run it with you, with my boots and my rack,’ he said. John has been the inspiration for me- just so motivating. Him signing on just brought this to a whole new level.”
Sergeant John Byrne himself is a wounded warrior. He is an infantry soldier that has recently come back from Afghanistan, and has been awarded an Army Commendation Medal for VALOR. He feels the Wounded Warrior Project has helped him get back on his feet.
“When you’re banged up, the Wounded Warrior Project takes you under their wing and gets you the benefits you deserve.” Byrne said. “They helped me take care of medical things, they filed my facility papers, my military papers- they were an advocate for me, and got me through it all,” Byrne said.
Byrne feels passionate about his time as a soldier, stating that it has been a very rewarding experience.
“What is a better job for an American guy than to play G.I. Joe for real? I wouldn’t call myself a hero, but think about it- you go over there and you protect the women, the children, and the people of America,” Byrne said.
Despite the rigorous physical demands of the marathon for Geraghty and Byrne, they both look forward to it as a tribute to those who have fought, as well as those who are still fighting.
“That little bit of pain me and Danny may have, so what! In the grand scheme of things, we’ll finish and that’s it… It’s just about being American, and doing the right thing,” Byrne said.
Geraghty feels it will be an emotionally satisfying experience. “It will be a representation of a whole community coming together and saying thank you,” he said.
In the words of John Byrne, “There ain’t no place like America.”
For more information or to donate to Dan Geraghty’s fundraising efforts, please click here.
And for more information on the Wounded Warrior Project, click here.
