Giving Back and Going Forward

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AUGUSTA, ME (06/09/2014)(readMedia)-- "A lot of people run a marathon every day," he said, sitting in his office overlooking the entrance to Camp Keyes. "Every day, you wake up, you put your shoes on, and you live your life. For me, running marathons is a way of demonstrating my resilience, but in my life, a lot of the marathons I have run have never been on a trail or on the road. They were me, sitting alone in a room thinking my way through some of the problems in my life, that we all have to face."

Col. Jack Mosher, Chief of Staff for the Maine Army National Guard has laced up to run over 25 marathons. That doesn't include his ultra marathons or trail runs. In 2009 he started running as a way to cope with the difficult times he was facing in his own personal life, and he has never stopped.

The well being of soldiers and their families is often on his mind during those runs. Shortly after Mosher began to find his own inner peace with running, Cpl. Andrew Hutchins, a native of New Portland, died in Afghanistan.

Only twenty years old, the military policeman who was serving with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky left behind his wife and high school sweetheart, who was pregnant with Andrew's daughter he would never meet. Mosher ended up sitting behind Heather shortly after at an event at the Governor's house and was able to take some time to talk with her.

"I think she (Heather) and Andrew are emblematic of all our men and women that step forward from every street, every corner, every hamlet and every farm in Maine to serve their country. I run for Andrew and I run for his family. I think he was a great person, and his wife Heather, an amazing person," said Mosher.

That's why Mosher decided to run the 2014 Boston Marathon in Andrew's memory.

"I was so happy to hear that someone was running in honor of Andrew," said Heather, who traveled to Boston for the event with his family and her two daughters. "And when I heard it was Col. Mosher, I was even happier. He is a great guy who has treated my family well in how he honors Andrew and us."

This was not the first race he has run with Heather and Andrew in his thoughts. He said he feels a connection to their specific family, and that's why he continues to run for them. "They have a great story, and are very emblematic of all our soldiers. I will continue to run for him so that he is not forgotten."

Heather, who lives in Maine with her two little girls, has been fighting hard to keep moving forward since her world was turned upside down in 2010. Although Allyssa may never meet Andrew, Heather and her family work hard to keep his memory alive, and make sure she knows who he was and what he did. Heather is very active in attending events held by the Maine Veteran Services program and the Survivor Outreach Support Services, such as Run for the Fallen, the Summit Project and the Maine Marathon Tribute March, along with different events to support scholarships that have been named in Andrew's honor.

"I'm living," she said about how its been to move forward since Andrew's death. "It isn't something you want to do. Everything I have been through, and the feelings I still have for Andrew, they will never be gone. But I keep focused because of my daughters. When I think about the real purpose of my life, I see their beautiful faces, and I know that my girls are my reason."

While Heather struggles through her own marathons to be strong and healthy for her two girls, Mosher, who similarly is a single father of two boys, works to stay healthy by logging long miles alone on the road.

"The real victories come during those early morning runs on lonesome highways, when you are all by yourself plodding down the road," said Mosher. "Whenever I can get out there and run. I run in total silence. It's just the thoughts in my head. I like to think when I run. I think about our soldiers, I think about their families, I think about my family. I think about my time serving in the military, and it is almost a prayerful time for me, out there alone with just the sound of my own breath, my feet on the road, and it's a very peaceful time for me. That's a sacred time for me, the time I spend preparing for marathons, and reflecting on what matters most in my life."

In April, Mosher completed what he considered to be his most emotionally charged marathon. 26.2 miles from the start line in Hopkinton, Mass, Mosher crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon, one year after the tragic bombings. After receiving his finisher's medal, Mosher was embraced by Heather and Allssa. It was an experience Mosher reflects on as a culmination of all his previous marathons, and one he will never forget, Mosher took off his hard earned finisher's medal, and placed it around Alyssa's neck, and told her it was hers now. Heather said she couldn't imagine that many people would do that, especially not to give the medal to a toddler.

Heather's ability to find the strength to push forward has been driven largely by her three year old. Amidst the support from both her and Andrew's family, a lot of her drive has come from Allyssa, and her baby sister, Kabella.

"They can drive me crazy, but they keep me sane at the same time," said Heather. "If I am ever emotionally drained, or just upset, Alyssa runs right over and he will hold my face up with both hands, and say 'it's okay momma, you're a good girl' and then slap a big kiss on my face to top it off. They are the best."

Running, family, kisses on the face whatever it takes, Heather and Mosher have found their own means to keep putting one foot in front of the other in challenging and adverse times.

"I think that resiliency means taking whatever is thrown at you and being able to handle it, control it, and be strong through it, because your strength can get you through almost anything. I am just trying to accept what has happened and do what I think is best for my family, and continue to have a life."

Mosher emphasized the importance of finding one's own source of strength, and fighting through the hard times.

"Every Maine servicemember is special, irreplaceable, a treasure," he said. "There is no one else like them on the Earth. The light of their presence here is very important for all of us. I would encourage all of them to fight for the quality of their life every single day. Never, never, ever quit. And to always be a healthy and happy person, especially for those who don't have that option anymore, those who have paid the ultimate price. "