He Lost His Brothers in War — Now He Runs to Preserve Their Legacy
It’s 2:50 am and the alarm sounds, shattering the peace and quiet of the night. By 3:15 am, Aaron Kendle is out the door, pounding the pavement in silence and the pitch dark with the memory of a brother on his mind and in his heart.
Aaron’s family has served in the military for generations. A great-grandfather laced up his boots in World War I and his two grandfathers fought in World War II. Aaron says, “Joining the military was always one of those things I thought I would do.”
When Aaron was in high school, his dad was working in the Navy Washington Yard and Aaron met a Navy SEAL officer who gave him a book that included details on each of the special forces groups.
“I grew up swimming and am super comfortable in the water, so I knew that the Navy and the SEALs were where I wanted to be,” Aaron shared.
In 2003, Aaron enlisted, then earned his Trident and the title he longed for: U.S. Navy SEAL.
Following three deployments, Aaron joined the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group and moved to Virginia Beach, VA. A kinetic operational tempo placed him outside Kandahar, Afghanistan in August 2011.
“We had just taken care of business, gotten back to base and I vividly remember going to my room to sleep and getting a knock on my door…I knew something was up. And it was the loss of Extortion 17… 25 SEALs, one working dog and five other service members,” Aaron said.
“It’s become known as the deadliest day in special operations history. I knew all of the SEALs personally. They were all protectors, doing their jobs to keep other people safe, people they didn’t even know. Now it’s my job to protect their memories and their stories so they live on and are never forgotten.”
To do just that, this May, Military Appreciation Month, Aaron laces up his sneakers each morning before the crack of dawn to run 31 kilometers and will do that for 31 days to honor the memories of the men and military working dog lost on August 6, 2011 aboard Extortion 17.
“It’s easy to forget the sacrifices others make because stories and memories get dulled down over time, but I want people to know how great these warriors were to constantly put themselves on the front line in selfless service.”
When asked what goes through his head on the nearly four hour runs each day Aaron said, “It’s obviously physically challenging, but it’s also helping me grow mentally; there’s a painful peace to it. And running for and with my brothers reminds me of my ability to rely and trust in myself to do exactly what I’ve trained to do – both in the military and now – which is to push myself farther than I think I can.
“It takes work to keep the sacrifice of my friends alive and this daily run reminds me of that. I hope it inspires the next group of patriotic Americans to do their part.”
Follow Aaron’s daily tribute on Instagram at @redmanda252 and to support his efforts to honor the memories of his friends, brothers and fellow service members, click here. To learn more about how Aaron got started with this memorial run two years ago, click here to read about his friendship with Boot Campaign board member and ultramarathoner, Mike Rouse.
