University News
WIU's First Fallen Soldiers 5K Run/Walk
October 2, 2012
MACOMB, IL - - Get out and get some exercise and support a good cause in honor of Veterans' Day 2012. Western Illinois University's Employee Wellness Committee, the Veterans Resource Center, and the WIU Foundation have joined together to sponsor the first Fallen Soldiers 5K Run/Walk, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 8 a.m., beginning and ending on the east lawn of the WIU Spencer Student Recreation Center.
The entry fee is $20 per person, and pre-registration is due by Wednesday, Oct. 31. Race day registration will be accepted from 7 to 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. Participants will receive a t-shirt and finisher medal; other prizes will be awarded to winners in a variety of categories, including overall race finish, gender, age group, and winning team. Money raised will be directed toward the WIU Fallen Soldiers Scholarship Fund, which supports veterans and service members currently enrolled at Western. Additional donations are welcome.
The Fallen Soldiers Scholarship Fund was started in honor of two WIU alumni who were killed in the line of duty, Captain Derek Dobogai and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Baldwin.
Dobogai (Fon du Lac, WI), who graduated from Western in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in law enforcement and justice administration, was a member of the Leatherneck cross-country team and track and field team. He was also a member of WIU's Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC), and while at Western, was ranked No. 14 Army ROTC cadet in the nation among more than 4,000 cadets. Dobogai earned the "Lieutenant of the Year" award for the 25th Infantry Division and had recently been selected to the U.S. Army Special Forces unit known as the Green Berets.
Baldwin (New Boston, IL) earned a bachelor's degree in industrial technology from WIU in 1993. He also held a master's degree in military art and science from the School of Advanced Military Studies and a master's degree in adult education from Kansas State University. While at Western, Baldwin was a member of ROTC and the Delta Upsilon International Fraternity. Baldwin's military awards and decorations include: Bronze Star Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Meritorious Unit Commendation; National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Arrowhead Device; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Korean Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; Air Assault Badge; Parachutist Badge; and the Senior Army Aviator Badge.
To register online, visit https://www.wiu.com/alumni/purchase.asp?eID=575; to view the race route, visit http://connect.garmin.com/course/1976392.
For more information, contact Holly Fecht at (309) 298-1861, or email HC-Fecht@wiu.edu.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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