M - "The greatest casualty is being forgotten."

I'd try to explain this whole thing in my own words but I thought I'd better serve the mission by letting USMA Cadet David Swanson do it in his own words below (in a letter written to a friend of mine).

I plan to participate and I hope you will, too. If you want to sponsor me or someone else, that'd be great. Any tiny little amount is absolutely fine or nothing at all is fine.

The most important thing any of us can do, I suppose, is not forget the military sacrifices from the past or those being made right now. So many are in harm's way; perhaps patrolling a most dangerous street in Baghdad hoping for no roadside bombs or sniper fire, even as I sit here in my cozy, heated living room typing this blog.

If you are not able to participate but have some ideas how to get the word out further, please let me know and I'll make sure word gets passed along to Cadet Swanson.

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This is the bottom line up front: http://www.24hourbrigade.com/ When I come home to Oklahoma for Spring Leave, I am going to run for 24 hours on the track of my high school alma mater (Yukon High School) and I am going to do it as a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).

Now a few details: This is going to be more than just one crazy cadet running in circles for 24 hours. I have established a goal that I want 1000 miles to be run on the track in the 24 hour period. I’ll take care of about 120-130 of those miles by myself. The other 880 or so will be run by participants from the local area– avid runners and athletes, casual joggers and power walkers, mothers pushing babies in strollers…it’s an event tailored to all comers.

Donations will come from 3 sources –
1) Participants will run on the track for a “suggested donation” price of $1 per mile,
2) Participants will seek sponsors to pledge an amount for every mile they run on the track (this could be anything from a grandmother pledging a nickel for every mile her grandkid does to a rich lawyer pledging a thousand bucks to see one of his less-than-athletic colleagues drag himself around the track 4 times),
3) Corporate sponsors will pledge $1 for every mile that is run on the track in the 24 hour period (the idea is to have 10-15 of these corporate sponsors so that every mile run on the track becomes worth $10 or $15…

So for example, say my 13-year-old brother commits to complete 3 miles. He donates 3 bucks from his personal allowance, he collects pledges from church friends, our grandparents, etc. for upwards of $100, and he earns $30-$45 from corporate sponsors – all for the Wounded Warrior Project.

We will also advertise “satellite” runs going on during the same 24 hours. That way my roommate, for example, who will be at his home in Virginia can still participate in the event remotely and have the miles that he runs on 20/21 March count towards the 1000 mile goal.

It’s an idea, and a good one I think, but I’m still looking for a way to really get it off the ground. I find that the more people I talk to, the more good ideas are generated. And so I pitch to you – thoughts, ideas? Check out the website – http://www.24hourbrigade.com/. Hit me with some feedback…

Respectfully, Cadet Sergeant David Swanson West Point, USCC '10