‘One Voice’ helps educate children of fallen SF soldiers

November 27, 2006 · Filed Under Education, Government, Life, Military, People, and Society 

Educating the children of fallen SOF soldiers via ‘Operation One Voice’

By Mike Bottoms

USSOCOM Public Affairs

“One voice, two feet, 24 runners, more than 625 miles, 680 children, 576,000 heartbeats, 3.168 million feet equals one very loud voice honoring our veterans and supporting the children of fallen Special Operations Forces.”

So went the stated mission of Operation One Voice 2006.

Running teams from Georgia and Florida made up of Special Operations Forces, police, firefighters and civilians assembled to raise money for children of fallen SOF warriors. Operation One Voice is a year — long effort culminating in a more than 625 — mile relay run from Duluth, Ga., to the Georgia State Capitol, to Fort Benning, Ga., to the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee and ending at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla., on Veteran’s Day.

“The Florida team had 19 runners with 11 from USSOCOM, five Tampa firemen and one gentleman from the Coast Guard,” said Capt. David Kaleel, deputy director, J9 Knowledge and Futures, and Florida team captain. “The Florida team had the night shift and we ran from midnight to noon with each runner running an hour at a time.”

The run began in a freezing rain in Duluth, but the enthusiasm was not dampened.

“On the opening day it seemed the whole town of Duluth turned out,” Kaleel said.

“The mayor, school children and even the Clydesdale horses from Busch Gardens were there to give us a great send off.”

The efforts needed for the long trek made some participants appreciate how the group came together for a noteworthy cause.

“The run was truly a team building and rewarding experience, one I won’t soon forget due to the cause it supported and the friendships I made along the way,” said Master Sgt. Willie Washington, from Knowledge and Futures. “I have a lot of respect for any one that is willing to go the extra mile to help someone and Operation One Voice does just that.”

“We all ran for an hour, but we had bikes with us for other runners to ride alongside the run to keep everyone company and motivated,” said Staff Sgt. Megan Anderson, a runner. “We also talked to a lot of people along the way, trying to get the word out about what Operation One Voice was all about.”

“There was something very unique about the experience, especially running alone on a dark road in the middle of the night with no one around except for your teammates and support vehicles,” said Lt. Cmdr. Chris Petrock, Center for Force Structure, Requirements, Resources, and Strategic Assessments, Quadrennial Defense Review Directorate. “The environment provided an amazing opportunity to personally reflect on the reason why I was out there in the first place.”

The four-day run is the finale of a year’s worth of fundraising efforts by the Georgia Sheriff’s based charity Operation One Voice developed in a public safety partnership of police, firefighters and deputies. The runners ultimately raised $70,000 to help guarantee a post-secondary education for the children of fallen Special Operations Forces.

“What we do throughout the year has only one goal, to see to it the needs of the children and families are met,” said Operation One Voice board member Rob Mikell. “The Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airman gave his or her all for this nation. What better way to say ‘thanks’, and don’t worry, your family are in caring hands.” The money raised was given to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation which has more than 600 children enrolled in its program.

“We deeply appreciate the efforts of Operation One Voice,” said John Carney, director of the . “Recently we have added 109 children to our program and the money raised this weekend will certainly help in our tuition programs.”

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation was founded in 1980 and is dedicated to providing college scholarships and educational counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who are killed in a training or operational missions. These services are provided throughout the United States, or overseas, depending on where the children reside.

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