Marine Vet Won't Give Up, Drags Himself Across Finish Line Saying Names Of Fallen Comrades

Apr 26, 2019 by apost team

The United States Marines are truly our nation’s most gallant and honorable warriors. As the lyrics of their anthem say, from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, the brave United States Marines defend our country and our freedom everywhere in the world.

As part of their training, Marines learn to never give up and to keep going despite the obstacles. A Marine who spent months training for the Boston Marathon is showing the world what it means to be persistent.

Marine Micah Herndon of Ohio signed up to run the Boston Marathon to honor three of his comrades that died defending our nation. Mark Juarez, Matthew Ballard, and Rupert Hamer died in Afghanistan in 2010 when they came upon an improvised explosive device, more commonly known as an IED.

Micah was injured in the blast but survived, carrying the guilt of making it out alive while his three friends perished for the last nine years. When Micah’s deployment was over, he took up running to ease his mind, finding that the stress and pain of all the bad things he saw melted off him when he went for a run.

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When it came time to enter the Boston Marathon, Micah decided that he would run not for himself, but for his three lost friends. Tattooing their names to his hand and writing their names on his shoes, Micah was prepared to honor his friends by doing the best he could in the marathon.

As Micah neared the finish line, the unthinkable happened to the weary Marine. Both Micah’s legs cramped up as he fell to the ground near the twenty-second-mile marker.

Undaunted by the pain, Micah pushed through, crawling to the finish line. Footage of the Marine on his hands and knees quickly went viral as Micah repeated “Ballard, Hamer, Juarez” until he finished the race.

According to CBS, Micah said any pain he felt was nothing compared to the sacrifice that his three friends made, and he finished the race in their honor.

Micah was also inspired by several other runners, including two men in Army fatigues that carried a weary runner to the finish line and two veterans with the Wounded Warrior Project who hoisted an American flag behind them. While not finishing in the amount of time he originally intended, Micah looks forward to his next race.

What do you think of how Marine Micah Herndon honored his three fallen friends by running the Boston Marathon? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to your friends and family to inspire them to never give up.