Schindler and his wife, pictured with Marines, after running the Marine Corps Marathon.
Meeting the real deal The night before the race, Schindler and his wife attended a banquet hosted by the Semper Fi Fund., and were seated with young, disabled veterans and their wives. The veterans were beneficiaries of the Semper Fi Fund due to their injuries while fighting in either Iraq or Afghanistan. “They were a great bunch of guys who were all putting their lives back together with assistance from the Semper Fi Fund,” Schindler says. “They were the real deal, and it made me happy to be a part of such a worthy cause.” During a conversation, a veteran asked Schindler about his affiliation with the Semper Fi Fund. “I could tell he thought I was a service member and I wanted to set him straight that I was simply a fundraiser,” Schindler says. The soldier’s eyes got wide. He immediately got out of his seat and came over to Schindler to shake his hand and thank him for raising money. ”As I sat down, I thought, ‘here’s this young guy who’d been injured in the service of his country and in defense of our freedom and he’s thanking me for raising a few bucks,” Schindler says. “That is extremely humbling.” Schindler learned from talking with the disabled veterans that our country has a large number of injured young men and women because of the war on terror. Like the disabled veterans he sat with, many of their injuries are not visible because they suffer from traumatic brain injuries from being in close proximity to explosions. “Many American’s don’t realize the extent of their numbers, and I believe, especially out west in our small rural communities, we are somewhat insulated from a lot of this,” Schindler says. “I think more than ever there is a need for these veteran charities such as The Semper Fi Fund. The people in this country truly do owe these folks something. As these guys know all too well, freedom isn’t free.”
The Blue Mile Located from mile points 12 to 13 on the race, the Blue Mile commemorates fallen service members. Pictures of fallen service men and women line both sides of the road, and near the end of this mile a volunteer or family member of a fallen soldier holds a U.S. flag in memory of the fallen. Schindler says the Blue Mile is a moment that will endure with him as long as he lives. “The only thing you can hear along that mile is the sound of footsteps as the runners silently pass by in solemn respect and reverence,” he recalls. “I just removed my hat as I ran and tried to hold back the tears. That one mile without a doubt is the most memorable of the entire course for everyone. It cannot be forgotten.”
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