A Hero Comes To Lakewood

You may have heard about a man named Mike Ehredt, who is running across the country to pay tribute to those soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq. He began his journey on May 1, 2010 starting from Astoria, Oregon and has been running an average of 30 miles every day. He stops every mile to plant an American flag with a yellow ribbon and the name, rank, service, age and hometown of a soldier who lost his or her life fighting in Iraq. When he ends his journey in Rockland, Maine on October 14th, he will have run 4417 miles, each mile commemorating the lives of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.

As he passes through northern Ohio, Mr. Ehredt will be stopping to rest in Lakewood on Friday, September 10th.  The H2O “Help to Others” youth volunteer program, sponsored by the City of Lakewood, is hosting a welcome rally at Lakewood Park from 5:00-5:30pm at the Veteran’s Memorial. The whole community is invited and encouraged to attend this gathering to meet Mike and celebrate his spirit and commitment. When H2O director, Celia Dorsch, heard that he would be running through the area, she couldn’t have been more thrilled. Mike Ehredt’s heartwarming story of courage and dedication was the inspiration for this year's H2O Summer Service Camp theme, "The Power of One."

This excerpt from Mike Ehredt’s blog on September 2, 2010 conveys what motivates him as he runs:

“The word crossroads carries a special meaning today. As I climb to a top of a long hill I sense a truck pull up behind me. It is maroon and small, something economical. The woman who steps out is tall. I guess she is in her 50s. She is quiet and I don’t know what to expect till she says, ‘You have my nephew…..His name was Chad Lake, he was from Ocala, FL and was 26.’ I didn’t have his flag. It had been placed Aug. 19th on Blackjack Road, outside of Galena, IL. My aunt was with me and she had placed it. I remember it clearly. Whats the chances that I would meet the aunt of this soldier on an obscure road out of 4417 names? That my aunt would place his flag? That I would even remember that? I noticed that she couldn’t speak. She had tears. Her lip was quivering. Then she walked away and I ran on………Crossroads of America….towns and people….entwined……”

For more information on Project America Run, check out Mike Ehredt’s website, www.projectamericarun.com. From there, you can visit his blog, read newspaper articles about him, learn more about his journey, or even sponsor one of the flags.  We hope to see you at the Lakewood Park Veteran’s Memorial at 5:00pm on Friday!