RALEIGH — A national nonprofit is bringing together families of fallen members of the military in an active way: running.
The group, Wear Blue: run to remember, is engaging communities across the country and abroad to honor the fallen through running events. But Wear Blue offers much more through its Gold Star Youth Mentorship Program (GSYMP), which matches Gold Star and surviving children who have lost a parent or sibling in military service with an active-duty or recently transitioned service member mentor.
“The Wear Blue Gold Star Youth Mentorship Program pairs children of fallen military service members with military-connected mentors, fostering a connection built on shared experiences and understanding,” Lisa Hallett, Wear Blue co-founder and executive director, said in a statement to North State Journal. “The program promotes healing, resilience, and personal growth through physical activity, meaningful relationships, and enduring remembrance.”
GSYMP has received support from Boeing, The Bob Woodruff Foundation and The USAA Foundation.
Hallett added, “Each step taken together is a tribute to the sacrifices made and a commitment to the future, ensuring that the children of our nation’s fallen are supported, empowered, and never alone.”
Locations served by the GSYMP include Joint Base Lewis McChord (DuPont, Washington Region), Fort Carson (Colorado Springs, Colorado Region), Joint Base San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas Region), Fort Campbell (Fort Campbell, Kentucky Region) and Fort Bragg (Fayetteville, North Carolina Region).
The impact of Wear Blue’s programs is measurable, with 99% of Gold Star youth indicating they feel connected to a community that honors their loved one’s sacrifice and 94% of community run participants reporting having a strong connection to the community.
GSYMP is currently accepting mentor and mentee applications for the Fort Bragg location at wearblueruntoremember.org/gsymp. The application period closes on March 15.
Additionally, at an upcoming “All American Races“ event at Fort Bragg, Wear Blue will host a tribute mile. The event will take place March 22 from 7 a.m. to noon.
The event is open to individuals of all ages and will include a half marathon, 5K run and 1-mile Fun Run. To register, visit ; the deadline is March 21 at 7 p.m. or until sold out.
Those wishing to volunteer with Wear Blue for the All American Races event can sign up by visiting wearblueruntoremember.org/all-america-races.
According to Wear Blue’s website, the group has engaged more than 3,900 service members, veterans, their families and families of the fallen annually, as well as over 400 youth served through GSYMP. Additionally, more than 200 families of the fallen have completed their first cohort of the organization’s Gold Star Race Program, and over 2 million athletes have moved through a Wear Blue mile.
The origin of Wear Blue traces back to 2010, when spouses of fallen service members came together to run in support of the 5-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team when it was redeployed in Afghanistan. During that deployment, 41 soldiers lost their lives, including Army Capt. John Hallett, Lisa Hallett’s husband.
When the unit returned, Hallett and fellow Army wife Erin O’Connor transformed their small support group into the nationwide organization it is today. The blue theme comes from the original group’s T-shirts, the blue Buffalo PT (physical training), which are now a tribute to the 5-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Amelia McConnell, Wear Blue’s director of marketing design, is the sister of one of the first 41 fallen soldiers to be honored by the group.
“The youth needed an outreach, and they needed mentorship as well,” McConnell, who was 15 at the time, said.
She noted that some of the children had never met their parents, including Hallet’s daughter, who was just 3 weeks old when her father was killed in action.
“And so it was giving (Lisa’s daughter) a sense of understanding of that military life, still having that connection to her father,” said McConnell. “And being partnered with active-duty service members or recently separated service members, it just brings back that connection and understanding of what that military career is.”
McConnell said the support and community connection for children goes beyond just running, describing units that would come out on a Saturday to lead a PT session, set up an obstacle course or paint camouflage on the children’s faces alongside the soldiers “just so they can experience some of that camaraderie.”
“For me, being a Gold Star sibling, it’s really easy to isolate yourself when you lose somebody — and not just in the military,” said McConnell. “It’s just very easy to isolate yourself, and you don’t always have the right words. I’ve lost people in my life, and I still don’t have the right words to say to somebody else.
“But I think of my mom often when she lost her oldest child, her only son, and people constantly came to the door and they gave her food and they didn’t say the right thing. And one of the things I remember her saying was, ‘I just needed somebody to say let’s go for a walk. Let’s get me out of the house.’”
McConnell said that is just what Hallett and her peers did; essentially saying, “Hey, let’s get out there and let’s grieve together and stay healthy while doing it.”
