What began as preparation has evolved into a remembrance.
When Sgt. 1st Class Robert "Dusty" Dawson was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2006, he began road marching with a rucksack to prepare for Special Forces training.
"But while I was doing these many miles of road marching -- I got about 25 miles in after a couple of weeks -- I was like, 'How can I apply this to a greater good other than physical conditioning?' " he said. "That was when I decided that I would road march one mile per casualty from (Operation) Enduring Freedom."
That was the start of Sgt. 1st Class Dawson's mission to complete what he has termed "miles of honor."
By Memorial Day 2007, he had marched one mile for each of the 395 members of U.S. and coalition forces killed in Afghanistan.
"I then decided I would start biking a mile for each of the (Operation) Iraqi Freedom casualties. I started that in June of 2007 while I was still in Afghanistan," said Sgt. 1st Class Dawson, who has been stationed at Fort Gordon since November.
In March, he began running a mile for each person killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
As of Saturday, using the casualty totals from that day, he has marched 750 miles for the 946 U.S. and coalition force deaths in Afghanistan; biked 3,845 miles for the 4,469 U.S. and coalition force deaths in Iraq; and biked five miles for each of the prisoner of war/missing-in-action service members in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As of Sunday, he has run 46 miles in honor of the 2,877 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Each time, he wears the bracelets of two of his friends, one of whom was killed in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq. He also lost a cousin in the terrorist attacks.
"When it gets painful and when the weather turns into rain or it gets really hot or cold, I just look at the bracelets and remember that I'm doing this to honor them and others," he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Dawson said he hasn't become tired.
"The numbers keep going up each day, and as long as the numbers keep going up I'll keep doing this," he said. "It's my way to do my part in remembering them and their sacrifice."
Reach Nikasha Dicks at (706) 823-3336 or nikasha.dicks@augustachronicle.com.
BACKGROUND
NAME : Sgt.1st Class Robert "Dusty" Dawson
AGE: 40
FAMILY: Son, Tate Dawson, 17
YEARS IN THE ARMY: 22
COMBAT TOURS: Bosnia, Kuwait, Macedonia and Afghanistan
QUOTE HE LIKES TO SHARE: "The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten." -- Calvin Coolidge
REMEMBERING 9/11
IN AUGUSTA - Remembrance ceremony, Augusta Common, 9:45 a.m. If it rains, the event will be held at Fire Station No. 3, 1099 Reynolds St.
- Flag ceremony, Augusta State University, 11 a.m., in front of Payne Hall.
IN NEW YORK
- Ceremony begins near ground zero at 8:40 a.m. and proceeds soon after to memorial site.
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg will introduce four moments of silence to commemorate the precise times each plane hit the World Trade Center towers and each tower fell.
- Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will visit ground zero in the afternoon.
IN WASHINGTON
- Dedication ceremony for the Pentagon Sept. 11 memorial, 8 a.m. President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will participate.
- A memorial at the spot where Flight 77 crashed, killing 184 people, opens to the public at 7 p.m.
- Mr. Bush and the first lady will observe a moment of silence at the White House at 8:46 a.m.
- At the Capitol, members of Congress will gather on the steps for a ceremony, with members singing God Bless America at 12:03 p.m.
-- From staff, wire reports
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