BAGHDAD — Service members and civilians honored a fallen 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team comrade with an annual event, which this year comprised of four foot races held in both Iraq and the National Guard unit's home-state of North Carolina, Dec. 5 and 6.
The race, named the Dash for Cash, in honor of the late Capt. Christopher Cash, a former company commander from the 30th Brigade Combat Team, who died during the brigade's last deployment to Iraq in 2004.
It was the fifth year for the annual event held in Greenville, N.C., the original site of the competition and the city near where Cash lived. Three years ago, an annual sister-race was organized at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, near Baquabah, Iraq, where Cash was serving with A Company at the time of his death.
This year, two more races were added; one at Forward Operating Base Falcon, south of Baghdad, where the brigade is headquartered and serving a second tour, and at Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah, where the 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th HBCT is located.
Runners pay a small registration fee to participate, and donations for the event are also accepted. Proceeds go towards a fund called the Cash Foundation, which is used to award a scholarship each year to three colleges: North Carolina Wesleyan College, where Cash earned a bachelor's degree; East Carolina University, where Cash earned a second bachelor's degree and a master's degree; and Pitt County Community College, located in Cash's hometown of Winterville, N.C.
Dawn Cash-Salau, Cash's widow, formed the Dash for Cash Committee and created the race after representatives from Wesleyan contacted her about starting a memorial scholarship in his name.
"I wanted this race to be exactly what Chris would want, and I wanted it to represent the person Chris was, so I asked a group of Chris' dearest friends to help," Cash-Salau said of forming the committee. "I am so grateful for each of them and their contribution to what has grown to be a wonderful event to honor Chris every year."
"Chris knew the importance of an education," Cash-Salau said. "To continue things that were important to him we award college scholarships in his memory."
Capt. Max Stroud, was a platoon leader with Cash, and has been a part of the Dash for Cash Committee since its inception. Stroud was also Cash's neighbor in Winterville.
"Christmas was Chris's favorite holiday," Stroud said of the reason for holding the race every December.
Stroud is serving a second deployment with the brigade, and ran the race at FOB Falcon.
"Dawn said 650 people ran this year in Greenville," Stroud said. "Three hundred and twenty ran in it the first year."
Sgt. Barb Russell, of Jacksonville, N.C., joined the N.C. National Guard in July of 2007 and learned of the event from recruiters that had known Cash. She ran in N.C. in 2007 and ran it again this year at FOB Falcon. She was the first female finisher.
"The minute I saw the first flier go up, I was like, 'Good to go, I'm going to go run,'" Russell said.
"I think it's a good cause," Russell said. "It's nice to know [Cash's family] is able to generate some good out of something that was so devastating.
"As long as I can run, and I'm in the area, I'm going to keep doing it every year."