‘I miss her every day.’ Merced turns out to support Run For The Fallen, honoring war heroes
Many Merced County residents haven’t forgotten the many military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Evidence of that remembrance was Sunday’s 2021 Run For The Fallen, which drew hundreds of runners and participants who continue to hold memories of those local heroes in their hearts.
The local Run For The Fallen is part of nationwide event honoring U.S. military men and women. Merced resident Anita Richards began organizing the Merced event after her son, Staff Sgt. Frank J. Gasper, was killed on May 25, 2008.
Gasper was killed in Iraq when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb on his fourth deployment.
Other local heroes the run honored included: Pfc. Karina Sotelo Lau (Iraq), Lance Cpl. Travis Layfield (Iraq), Cpl. Joshua Pickard (Iraq), Cpl. Cesar Granados (Iraq), and Pfc. Lukas Hopper (Iraq), Sgt. Matthew Abatte (Afghanistan), Staff Sgt. Vincent Wayne Ashlock (Iraq, Afghanistan) and Sgt. Jose Rodriguez (Afghanistan), among others.
Karina Lau’s mother Ruth Lau, 73 of Livingston, watched Sunday as runners and walkers made their way to the finish line at the 5K/10K run/walk.
The 2001 Livingston High graduate was only 20 years old when she died while serving in Iraq. She was one of several people aboard a helicopter that was shot down. She died on Nov. 2, 2003.
A sign with Lau’s photo is displayed on the Merced College campus along Community College Drive South, along with other signs displaying photos of other fallen service members.
“She enjoyed music,” Ruth Lau said of her daughter, who had played in a band for eight years. “She liked to sing. She used to sing in a band.”
Karina Lau had also dreamed of being a music teacher. “She was wonderful, she was a wonderful girl,” Lau said. “I miss her every day…She left too soon.”
While in prior years the Run For The Fallen began in Applegate Park, more recently the event has started at the Field of Honor. The field is a stunning display of hundreds of American flags at Merced College, done in honor of military veterans and first responders.
Nicholas Munoz, 40, of Merced, attends the Field of Honor every year, and participated in the Run For The Fallen for the first time this year.
Munoz attends the Field of Honor annually because his brother-in-law and stepdad served in the U.S. Army. “We always come out to the flags but this is the first time we did the walk,” Munoz said. “It was nice, we plan on doing it every year. The weather’s nice, it’s a good time to do it.”
The Field of Honor is open all hours of the day and lit up at night for the community to visit. The week-long event is also instrumental in raising funds solely for the benefit of veterans, active military members and first responders through flag sales and sponsorship.
Organizers say the event typically raises about $20-30,000 on average each year.
The Field of Honor will remain at the Merced College lawn and the corner of M Street and Yosemite Avenue through Veterans Day.
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 12:13 PM.