Salute Inc.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan – Though separated from Chicago by several time zones and 7,500 miles, Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Salerno found their stride, simultaneously participating in the “Got Freedom Run,” May 30.

Despite the separation, there was no issue with the  time difference.
At 8 a.m. Central Standard Time, 5:30 p.m. locally in Afghanistan, the five-kilometer Memorial Day celebration run began. To make this run a reality required a lot of coordination with race sponsor “Team Salute,” as well as with family members in Illinois.

Read below to learn about this incredible Success Story!

My name is Bridget Piagari and I am a cousin of Toby Logsdon...

About a year and a half ago, I decided it was my time to quit smoking, and also my time to get healthy. I had lost my father way too young from smoking and other health issues, and I couldn't let that be my fate, nor would I put my children though the pain I went through when I lost him.

I had always loved walking, and have been an athlete most of my life and after walking for almost 2 years I realized my legs and feet could go faster! So, little by little I increased how far I could run and in the process fell in love with it! I knew I wanted to do a 5k, but needed the motivation to train to get through it. To most runners 3.2 miles is nothing, but for this 37year old it was a BIG deal.

 When I saw the brochure outside a park district class my son was taking I said "That's it, you are going to run for the Veterans". My father was in the Navy, my brother was in the Marines, and we had many friends who served in all the different branches of the military. But most importantly it was for my cousin Toby, who is currently enlisted in the Army and serving in Afghanistan. We share a love for running, for God, and for our families. He has always been the best supporter of mine and I wanted to do the same for him. So for about 3 months I ran from 3-4 miles a day to prepare myself for the big day.

 The name of the race I did was called "Got Freedom?" and it was in it's 7th year. We had many volunteers at water stations, and hands out to give us high 5's.There were almost 900 people in the race and being a typical almost summer day in Chicago it was 88 degrees outside. We ran through beautiful neighborhoods in Arlington Heights, and had supporters all the way til the end. Something I am extra proud of though is that out of all the people in the race that day, I raised the most money for our veterans and Salute Inc.noticed. As all the announcements were being made before the race stared they mentioned how much I had raised, and who I was running for. So, thousands of people all heard that I had a cousin in Afghanistan named Toby and that he was running along side me from there.

It was important for me to make sure that I did well for my cousin, and I wanted to make him proud of me. I knew he was the second I heard that he had not only run it, but had gotten many men/women form his unit to do it too. So,every step I took, was with him, and every breath I inhaled, was with him. This just reaffirms to me that our soldiers are the bravest people on the planet, and we need to do more for them. To find out more about this charity, or how you can help visit the website www.Saluteinc.org.

God Bless,

Bridget Piagari