… as we near Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th, that special day to pay tribute to all members who served in the military, both living and dead.

This was the 8th and final year for the event called “Running to Honor” which honors veterans who have taken their lives due to PTSD. I have participated in this event for the last four years.

As in all my more-recent 5K events, I go the day before or after the event and participate virtually – there are many virtual participants for “Running to Honor”, even from out of state.

Also, as in the past, my photos are reflective of the solemnity of the event, honoring those many veterans, some who served with Race Director Aaron Bartal during his continuous two-year tour in Iraq where his unit lost nine soldiers.

I stopped at the Botanical Gardens to look for flowers with a patriotic flair. More about them later in this post. I also was fortunate that the 4th of July patriotic bunting was still around the park, so I included some here.

I chose the featured image as I thought it was very peaceful, the beautiful, covered bridge over Coan Lake and the church spire from West Mound Church, also on the grounds of Heritage Park, towering in the background.

Veterans struggling with life at home after their military service is understandstably difficult and Aaron, who was in the military a total of six years, was interested to help them out as best he could by creating this endeavor. He has decided, however, even though there will be no more 5K events, he and his wife will find other endeavors to assist our veterans in need.

I saw these turtles and I thought of the expression “you are my rock” … sadly, not all veterans have a “rock” because not everyone understands what they saw, or did, while they were deployed; only their brothers in arms truly understand.

It might be tough upon return to civilian life to face the new challenges head on …

… when even loved ones may look away and not understand, or feel shut out.

So when Aaron first created the “Running to Honor” 5K event he wanted to help those veterans suffering from PTSD, to give them an outlet, someone to talk to, a buddy so to speak.

As mentioned previously, there was patriotic bunting, also celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

I meandered around the park, then over to the Botanical Gardens where I hoped to find a patriotic sampling of blooms. I always aim to find a nice selection of red, white and blue flowers. Blue or purplish-blue flowers are not as plentiful as red and white, or even red-and-white combos; in the past I’ve photographed Blue Salvias, but I didn’t see any this year.

Here are some of the red and/or white flowers I saw, with their name in each caption.

As usual, Aaron (pictured below), along with volunteers, set up all the signs on Friday night. They represent those veterans who lost their lives from PTSD after returning home from their tour(s) of duty. The signs are near the starting point for the race and there is always an honor guard to ensure the flags and signs are not damaged or stolen overnight before race day (Saturday). These photos are all from Aaron’s Running to Honor Facebook site.

The race has always been well run, with race packets available for pickup a few days before the race and the virtual participants receive their packets the week before, complete with mail tracking information.

This is what we received. I used Aaron’s picture of the finisher medal, front and back, as it was clearer than my photo (below) where I laid it on the tee shirt; I wanted you to see the stats.

It was a worthy cause with 921 participants strong in 2026. You may recall from prior posts regarding this 5K event and, as you see on the flip side of the race medal, that in the U.S., there are 22 veterans per day that die from suicide or PTSD, some many years after they return from the battlefield. The event’s registration fees are put to good use as all funds raised help provide resources for veterans with PTSD or suicidal thoughts. Aaron Bartal’s mission has always been to honor and keep the memory of our fallen soldiers alive, while reminding all of us that freedom is never free. Hopefully someone else will take over the reins in 2027.

P.S. I realize this is my third Heritage Park post in a row. At the time I prepared and scheduled this post, given our sometimes wonky weather, I did not know for sure whether I would get a chance to visit this venue for any of the Halloween and/or Harvest-related décor and festivities, but I did get there, so I did some rearranging. I also visited Heritage Park in August to see the mobile replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on “The Wall That Heals” national tour. That post will be at/around Memorial Day 2027.

Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge this week is: leather browns and burgundies. Since I wanted this post for Veteran’s Day, I will link to Terri’s Flower Hour instead.