Photo by Charmain Z. Brackett At right, Capt. Scott Gurley, Marine Corps Detachment commander, hands off a pouch of rounds to Sgt. William Cruz, to signal the start of the Marine Tribute to the Fallen Oct. 16 at Barton Field. The rounds will be fired on Nov. 5 at the closing ceremony of the tribute run. They may not have been best buddies, but they were brothers in-arms.

“I saw him all the time. We played basketball together,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Pippin of Cpl. Jason Dunham, who died on April 14, 2003 in Iraq after he covered an insurgent’s grenade with his body to protect his fellow Marines.

The action cost Dunham his life that day and garnered him the Medal of Honor. Pippin served with Dunham in Iraq. And during the 5th Annual Tribute to the Fallen, which began on Oct. 16, Pippin will remember Dunham and other Marines who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice since fighting began in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Until Nov. 5, Marines and Sailors will run for the 1,164 Marines and Navy Corpsmen who’ve given their lives in defense of freedom. They will run the 3 miles around Barton Field 24 hours a day in the heat and cold and in the rain and mud. While others are sleeping, they will run; while others are enjoying their weekends and watching college football, they will run.

The three miles are significant, said Pippin, because that is the required length of their personal fitness tests.

“They can’t do it so we do it for them,” said Pippin, who will run a total of 29 laps during the event and will remember five other men he’s served with – Lance Cpl. Elias Torrez III, Master Sgt. Timothy Toney, Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, Gunnery Sgt. Shawn Lane and Lance Cpl. Ryan Kovacicek.

During their three miles, they carry with them a pouch of ammunition which is passed from runner to runner. The ammunition will be used at the closing ceremony in a gun salute to all the fallen.

As each runner takes the field, the photograph of the Marine who is being run for will be displayed on a screen.

Marines don’t always run alone. Sometimes, they are joined by members of sister services as well as people from the community.

“A lot of people show up,” said Capt. Scott Gurley, Marine Corps detachment commander. “There are a lot of retirees who come.”

One of those retirees is Henry Mulligan of Augusta. The 68 year-old received two Purple Heart Medals while serving his three tours in Vietnam. Part of his regular routine is to run on the tracks of Fort Gordon.

“Being a Marine, when they are doing something, I want to be a part of it,” said Mulligan, who will run alongside Marines six days a week.