Growing up in Canada November 11th, known there as Remembrance Day, was typically cold, gray and dreary. The trees were completely bare of leaves by this time and there always seemed to be a threat of rain. We observed the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in the center of town at the Cenotaph freezing in our girl guide or boy scout uniforms. The veterans and the cadets marched with the school bands. It was a day to remember the sacrifices of the veterans and their fallen comrades. It all seemed so historical, a thing of the past not to be forgotten, but somehow over. Veterans were grandfathers and great uncles, not young people. And their fallen comrades were names and faded pictures, not anyone us kids actually knew.
But on this Veterans Day I remember a 23 year old soldier. Lt. Dennis Zilinski was killed in action in Bayji, Iraq on November 19, 2005. We met Dennis 6 years ago during his senior year at West Point. He was the captain of the swim team and an active member of the Cadet Chapel. Jason was an officer representative for the swim team so we got to accompany the team to meets and attend their end of the year banquet. Dennis was a leader, quick with a smile and so full of promise and potential. And now he's gone.
I've been thinking about writing this blog for a while so Sunday I went on line to make sure I had Dennis' information correct to share with you when I discovered this celebration of Dennis' life, a 3 mile road race in New Jersey with an option for those of us around the world to participate. This site is a wonderful tribute to Dennis.
http://www.runwithdennis.org/index.html
I discovered the event a half hour before it began on Sunday morning so Jason and I were able to do our own little run but I will be actively recruiting runners for next year's Hawaiian chapter of the Run With Dennis Race. A great way to honor an outstanding young officer and veteran for Veterans Day.
