FORT LEE, Va.—Thousands of Fort Lee community members honored and remembered the fallen heroes who died since the war on terror began and showed support for Gold Star Families in attendance Sept. 12 at the 2026 Fort Lee Run for the Fallen.
“We gather here this morning not just for a run, but to fulfill that solemn promise of support to our Gold Star family members,” said Maj. Gen. Sean P. Davis, commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Lee senior commander. “Every single step you take is a tribute to those who have fallen. We run to honor the brave men and women who stood…to defend our nation's freedom because, as you know, freedom is not free.”
The annual one mile and 5k RFTF course serves as a time to honor fallen heroes who have answered the call to service for the U.S. and is organized by Survivor Outreach Services, this year, featuring a few dozen local Gold Star Families.
To show appreciation and honor the sacrifice of Gold Star Families, as well as that of their fallen service members, all in attendance fell silent while survivors said their loved ones’ names.
Active-duty service members, who largely filled the stands, applauded and saluted the Gold Star Families as they passed by.
Hundreds of fallen service member photos lined the athletic field of Williams Stadium alongside American flags and combat boots.
Participants and event volunteers included Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, American Legion posts, and the 380th Army Band out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Run for the Fallen is part of a national, nonprofit initiative that started in 2008, when a group of civilians decided to run from Fort Irwin, Calif., to Arlington National Cemetery in honor of service members who were killed in the War on Terrorism.
The event organizer, SOS, provides advocacy services and support to surviving family members of all military branches. In addition to RFTF, the Family and MWR office here hosts events like the Gold Star Family dinner and the annual Memorial Garden Butterfly Release to show that survivors remain valued members of the U.S. military family.
“To our Gold Star surviving family members, we will never forget the sacrifice you have made, and through events like this, we continue to remind our fellow Americans everywhere of the high price willingly and selflessly paid for our freedom,” said Staff Sgt. Damien Snyder, an operations tasker manager for the U.S. Army Ordnance School and RFTF emcee.