Photo By 1st Lt. Anna Doo | Sgt. Amanda Montoya, left, an aviation operations specialist with Charlie Company,...... read more read more
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Runners from all over the country flocked to the Bosque trail Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, to participate in a memorial race honoring Sgt. Pernell J. Herrera. Herrera was a Soldier with Charlie Company, 1-171st Aviation Regiment, who passed away while on deployment to Afghanistan in 2011.
Sgt. Amanda Montoya, an aviation operations specialist with Charlie Company facilitated the official race with hopes of making it an annual event.
“We are hosting this run in his memory and his honor just to relive the life he lived. He was such a genuine person,” Montoya said.
Montoya began planning the race by simply asking for permission and ended up with sponsors for the location, facilities, official timing, photography, awards and more. She said everyone she asked felt it was a good cause so it was easy to get sponsors.
More than thirty runners lined up along the Bosque trail in the crisp morning air. A mix of half marathon, 10K, 5K and 2 mile distance runners happily reminisced about Herrera and why they chose to participate in the run.
John Madrid, who ran the half marathon, said he was searching for something to do on his 53rd birthday. A Navy veteran, Madrid said it was an honor to be able to run for the memorial of Herrera.
“I understand the commitment it takes to be a part of the service,” Madrid said. “I found the perfect thing to match my personality and my way of thought; honoring veterans on a day like today.”
A team of fourteen runners from Endurance Obsession also participated in the various distance runs. One of their members was flying into Albuquerque to attend the group’s end of season event and chose the race. Members of the local chapter of Team Red White & Blue, a nonprofit whose goal is to enrich the lives of Veterans by connecting them to their community through physical activity, were also on hand to run in Herrera’s honor.
Of all of the participants, both community members and service members, one family stood out. Dolores Quintana, Herrera’s mother along with her son Arthur Herrera and his family, walked the trail in honor of their fallen hero. Montoya has been in contact with Quintana since the end of the deployment continually checking in with her. Montoya said it has always been hard to talk with Quintana about her son but added that they have grown a warm, motherly relationship.
“I’m honored and happy to see all these people here to run for my son,” Quintana said. “He was such a good person, a good son, a good man. I want to thank everyone for coming and showing up. Goes to show my son had a lot of friends and they all loved him and he loved them. He was a good man.”
As the participants mingled about, stories of Herrera swirled warming the cool morning air. One Soldier spoke of his time in Afghanistan with Herrera remembering how he always had a crowd around him. Herrera would have everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. The Soldier said Herrera’s personality was warm, inviting and that he could always find the silver lining in what was otherwise very austere conditions.
As the successful event drew to a close, one sentiment drifted above the rest and was given voice by one of Herrera’s fellow Soldiers. “I hadn’t really found closure with his passing yet,” he said. “This race is a really good starting point for healing.”
| Date Taken: | 11.22.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.01.2014 10:08 |
| Story ID: | 149073 |
| Location: | ALBUQUERQUE, NM, US |
| Hometown: | ESPANOLA, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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