PenFed Credit Union Partners with wear blue: run to remember to Honor Our Nation's Fallen Military Heroes on Memorial Day

This Memorial Day, wear blue: run to remember encourages runners, walkers across the nation to commit to run or walk in honor of fallen service members

PenFed Credit Union to donate $25,000 to support wear blue: run to remember's mission

News provided by

PenFed Credit Union

May 24, 2021, 11:00 ET

TYSONS, Va. and SEATTLE, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PenFed Credit Union, the nation's second largest federal credit union, today announced a partnership with wear blue: run to remember, a national nonprofit building a community that honors the service and sacrifice of the American military through active remembrance. Together, on Memorial Day, they are joining the tens of thousands of surviving spouses, children, parents and siblings who still grieve the loss of a service member killed in combat operations to build a national living memorial dedicated to our nation's fallen military heroes.

Gold Star Child Joseph Milledge, Jr. carries a flag in honor of his father, U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Milledge, Sr.

Registering through the wear blue: run to remember hero match website, runners and walkers from across the nation will create a living memorial by taking purposeful steps on Memorial Day for the fallen hero they receive through their match. With each registration and with each step, participants are ensuring that the stories and sacrifices of these brave men and women are not forgotten.

This year's Memorial Day event is striving to match each fallen hero since the first days of the Vietnam War with a runner or walker. To learn the stories, speak the names, and honor the legacies of these 65,502 fallen service members, runners and walkers can join the Memorial Day mission by registering now at http://www.wearblueruntoremember.org for no cost. Participants receive a unique bib to share the name of the service member whom they honor with their steps.

"It's critically important to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, and the loved ones they left behind," said James Schenck, president/CEO of PenFed Credit Union and CEO of PenFed Foundation. "wear blue: run to remember provides a unique opportunity for Americans to honor fallen heroes, and we are proud to support them this Military Appreciation Month."

In addition to a $25,000 donation from PenFed Credit Union, PenFed Digital is producing a social media campaign highlighting we are blue: run to remember and the stories of resiliency and bravery of Gold Star Families.

Led by Andrea McCarren, an award-winning nationally recognized journalist with decades of experience, PenFed Digital will be sharing excerpts of inspirational interviews with Gold Star Children and encouraging everyone to register to run or walk in honor of the fallen on PenFed's social media channels. Please click here to watch Gold Star Daughter, Heidi Hallett, share a heartfelt message about her dad and her reasons for running this Memorial Day. Additional media assets can be found via the following dropbox link.

"On Memorial Day, no family member of a fallen service member should remember alone," said we are blue: run to remember Executive Director & Co-Founder and Gold Star Spouse Lisa Hallett. "Join us in actively remembering our nation's fallen service members and support our mission to honor the 65,502 killed since the beginning of the Vietnam War."

wear blue: run to remember has an active global running community across 26 states, Germany and Japan. Those unable to join a run in-person, are encouraged to join a virtual Circle of Remembrance on the wear blue website, during which names of military members killed in war will be spoken.

About PenFed Credit Union
Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving 2.3 million members worldwide with $28 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services with members' interests always in mind. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

About wear blue: run to remember:
wear blue: run to remember was founded following the redeployment of 5-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, a unit that, while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, sustained a significant amount of combat losses and casualties. During that deployment, a small group of 5-2 wives and battalion support staff met weekly to run, seeking to create a support network for one another during this challenging and heartbreaking deployment. When the brigade returned, two of those Army wives and avid runners, Lisa Hallett and Erin O'Connor, turned this small group into a nationwide vision that now helps thousands heal from and work through the more challenging aspects of military life during a time of war. Lisa's husband, CPT John Hallett, was one of four soldiers killed in that unit on August 25, 2009, while returning from a goodwill mission in Southern Afghanistan.

SOURCE PenFed Credit Union