(Above) Marines assigned to the Inspector and Instructor unit with the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve in Augusta, Ga., as well as Marine Sgt. Bradley McCord ran a 3-mile lap on Barton Field Oct. 30 to honor Cpl. Matthew Dillon, who was killed Dec. 11, 2006 in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. The run was part of the 2009 Tribute to the Fallen at Fort Gordon which ran from Oct. 16 to Nov. 5. (Right) McCord, a motor transport mechanic with Detachment 2 Motor Transport Maintenance Company, 4th Maintenance Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group in Augusta, Ga., gives Lucy Dillon, the mother of Cpl. Matthew Dillon, a hug after his run to honor their son during the Tribute to the Fallen. In the background is Neal Dillon talking to a Marine who also ran in the formation to honor his son. Photo by Don Murray It’s difficult for many parents to bury a son or daughter. This is something Neal and Lucy Dillon of Aiken, S.C., know personally. They lost their son in 2006 while he served in Iraq during Operation Iraq Freedom.

Photo by Bonnie Heater The Dillons were invited by the Marines of Fort Gordon to watch as they ran in honor of their son’s service and ultimate sacrifice made to the nation in the 2009 Tribute to the Fallen which was held from Oct. 16 to Nov. 5 on Barton Field.

This is the fourth annual Tribute to the Fallen to be held at Fort Gordon, but the second visit for the Dillons.They came here for the first time in 2007 to see their son’s memory honored in this manner.

Marine Sgt. Bradley McCord of Abbeville, S.C., and Marines assigned to the Inspector and Instructor unit at the Naval and Marine Center in Augusta, Ga., ran a three-mile lap on Barton Field for their son at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 30.

Bradley carried the ammo pouch containing 21 rounds which would be used in a 21-gun salute to the fallen Marines and Navy corpsmen after the final lap was run at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 5 on Barton Field. This would be followed by the playing of taps and the singing of the “Marines’ Hymn.”

The Air Force 31st Intelligence Squadron’s quarterback Rebecca Long, #2, moves swiftly with the ball to gains some yardage for her team [aka Desert Knights] during the 2009 Women’s Flag Football Championships games held 6 p.m. Oct. 28 on Fort Gordon’s soccer field. Their opponent, Company E, 369th Signal Battalion, [aka Wolf Pack] won the game 18-0. At press time the ladies of Company E, 369th Signal Battalion were scheduled to play against the Navy 6 p.m. Nov. 4 on Fort Gordon’s soccer field for the championship. Photo by Bonnie Heater Marines from the Augusta, Ga., Reserve Station as well as Marines from the U. S. Marine Corps Detachment at Fort Gordon performed the burial detail during Dillon’s funeral, according to Gunnery Sgt. Jared Bean, the Tribute to the Fallen project officer at Fort Gordon.

Dillon was killed Dec. 11, 2006 while conducting a combat mission in the Anbar Province of Iraq when the Humvee he was riding in was hit by a large improvised explosive device (roadside bomb). Dillon, Lance Cpl. Clinton Miller and Lance Cpl. Budd Cote, who was also in the Humvee, were killed instantly and the incident injured two other Marines, according to Dillon’s dad.

Dillion was a recipient of two Purple Hearts, one earned at the time of his death, and the first when injured during Operation Iraq Freedom I. At the time he was a combat engineer serving with the South Carolina Army National Guard.

After the run the Dillons talked briefly about their son and thanked the Marines for honoring him this way. “My son wrote in a letter to us explaining his wishes should he die in Iraq,” said Neal Dillon tearfully. The lost still hurts. “Time doesn’t take the pain away,” he added.

“My son wanted just three things,” explained Dillon. “To be buried in the Marines Dress Blues [uniform] with a military funeral, the song “Amazing Grace,” to be played on the bagpipes, and the reading of a particular poem written by Robert Kipling.”

The fourth annual Tribute to the Fallen began at 9 a.m. Oct. 16 when the Marines of Fort Gordon and the surrounding community began a run to commemorate the 1,167 Marines and Navy Corpsman who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving as part of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. A Marine or Sailor was on the Barton Field running 24 hours a day for the entire 21 day duration. The run covered over 3,350 miles and took more than 500 hours to complete, according to Bean.

“We undertook this journey to remember our fallen brothers and sisters that are now part of our Corps’ history and to honor their sacrifice,” said Bean.

For more information about the Tribute to the Fallen call (706) 791-6221 and for more information about Dillon and the scholarship established in his name by his parents visit the Web site: http://matthewdillon.memory-of.com/About.aspz.