HOLLAND, Mich. — It’s been nearly a year since a Marine from West Michigan was killed in Afghanistan. Now a friend is running in his honor, working to raise money for other fallen Marines and their families.
Gunnery Sgt. Dan Price, 27, of Holland was killed in combat last July on his third tour of duty. For his friends and family, there isn’t a day that goes by they don’t think of him.
Ross Brink and Sgt. Price were best friends. They knew each other since they were 11. “We grew up just across the field from each other, and through working on our farm we got to be close,” said Brink. “Then we started doing stuff in the evening together. We were pretty much inseparable.”
Now Brink is working to keep Sgt. Price’s memory alive. He has been training to run in the Marine Corps Marathon this fall in Arlington, Va.
“I’m not a runner at all,” said Brink. “The last time I ran was before Dan left for basic. We would run a couple of nights a week around the block.”
Memories keep Brink moving on the 26-mile trek. “Dan was one of those people, if he put his mind to it he excelled. He did not know the word fail, the meaning of fail. He put his mind to it and he did it. That’s just the kind of guy he was.”
It’s a kind of dedication that has inspired Brink to make a difference, to do something he normally wouldn’t, to honor the men and women who so bravely serve our country. “Just the sacrifice these guys make for us, day in day out it’s the least I can do for them.”
Brink is running with a group of friends and family. They’re trying to raise money for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command Foundation.
If you would like to donate: https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/brandonpadilla/2013-marine-corps-marathon
