WASHINGTON — “Ladies and gentlemen, stand by to welcome the running warriors from Kilo Company 3/25,” the audience was told Sunday morning just before they arrived at the National Marine Corps Museum.
The Marines were running to the landmark to honor their fallen comrades.
“We lost 48 members in Iraq and it’s just really important for us to honor them, nonstop — not just today, years and days out,” said Staff Sgt. Oscar Aguilera, a member of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion 25th Marine Regiment in Iraq in 2005.
The battalion came running in formation, carrying an American flag and a Wounded Warriors flag. They were greeted applause and music, with the Band of America’s Few playing the “Marines’ Hymn.”
This year, the group of Marines ran from Philadelphia — from the spot where Tun Tavern once stood — to the Marine Corps Museum where there’s a replica of Tun Tavern inside the facility. The Marines were formed at Tun Tavern in 1775.
They ran 170 miles to raise money for wounded warriors. The run began five years ago, and has included runs from Long Island, N.Y. to Ground Zero in years past.
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