Run for the Fallen honors sacrifice of servicemen and women

Massachusetts Run for the Fallen was held in Dedham at Memorial Field, with more than 500 runners and walkers participating. Previously held in Lynn, the event was moved to Dedham for the first time.

“Dedham has been fantastic in laying out the red carpet to be able to set up and assist us in setting up the program” said Retired Brigadier General Thomas Sellars, a member of then Military Friends Foundation, which organized the run.

Opening ceremonies before the race included the Pledge of Allegiance, several organization leaders and family members leading the crowd in reading the names of the 241 service members from Massachusetts who enlisted after 9/11 and were killed in action.

The Military Friends Foundation is a Massachusetts organization that serves military families for the past decade and started the Run for the Fallen.

“Not only in combination of the memory of 9/11 but also the military service and sacrifice since 9/11” said Sellars, adding that the event is held on the closest weekend of 9/11.

Across the baseball diamond at Memorial Field, 241 pairs of boots, each adorned with a small American flag, stood to represent a member of the Armed Forces from Massachusetts who enlisted after Sept. 11 and was killed in action. Surrounding them was a banner with the name, rank, and a brief description of each of them. They were from Rockland, Attleboro, serving in a variety of roles.

“There’s an emotional component to this but not an emotional component about the sadness of a loss,” said Sellars. “It is much more about celebrating someone’s service, recognizing the fact that they had sacrificed for something much larger than themselves. And that is a common relationship that everyone here has; that shared sacrifice.”