Service members here competed in the 5K walk/run event only hours before their counterparts in Minneapolis to show their support for the nonprofit organization. “The purpose of the run is to emphasize awareness,” said Lt. Col. Jim Swanson, key leader engagement branch chief, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division. “The Minnesota Military Appreciation Fund was designed to show service members from Minnesota, or those in Minnesota units, that the citizens of Minnesota appreciate what they do.”
MMAF is an organization which provides cash grants to Soldiers deployed to combat zones and support to families of Soldiers killed in combat. “The foundation is set up to provide a one-time $500 grant to Soldiers to show the appreciation of the citizens of Minnesota,” said Swanson.
“If you’re injured in action or if you receive a purple heart, you’re automatically eligible for a grant between $2,000 and $10,000, depending on the nature and severity of your injury. In the unforeseen circumstance that we lose a service member, the foundation will make a donation to the family in the amount of $5,000,” added Swanson.
MMAF supporters in Minneapolis will compete in a similar Father’s Day run to say thanks to fathers, mothers, sons and daughters serving in the military. This year is the fifth annual MMAF 5K run. Soldiers from all over the United States competed as well to celebrate Father’s Day and support the MMAF.
“I’m running on Father’s Day to support the fathers here and those back in the states,” said Pfc. Christopher Bullock, a Durham, N. C. native and topographical specialist with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “The run makes you feel like you’re part of something important going on in the states, even though you’re so far away.”
The first male and the first female to cross the finish line here will receive a one-night stay at the downtown Minneapolis Hilton and a special breakfast.
“The run is a way for the citizens of Minnesota to show that they know and appreciate the Soldiers and what they are doing,” said Swanson.
