Vet Reminds Racers Of Memorial Day Meaning
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
The veteran was Commander Steven Fuchs, Tracey’s brother.
Tracey Yeager was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and fought it for five years. On May 31, 2010, she died at age 42. Tracey graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1990 and served as a Naval officer. She earned the rank of lieutenant, and resigned in 1999.
Fuchs was commissioned in 1999 in the Navy. He went on to flight school, was selected to fly the F-18 Hornet and the F-14 Tomcat, and flew 3,000 hours in Navy jets. He flew in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Air Medal. He flew over Baghdad the day the first free elections took place in Iraq.
While introducing Fuchs in a brief ceremony before the 5K, Steve Yeager, widower of Tracey Yeager, said there are two primary goals of the 5K.
“Number one, we want to remember Tracey and who she was and again, for a lot of us here, she was a really big part of our lives. And I know some of you don’t know who she was. So the second piece is, we honor her in a way that is beneficial to the community,” he said.
“And the two things that we try to do for the community in this event is number one, we raise funds. And those funds go toward outdoor recreation, trails, things that Tracey loved. We have a fund called the Tracey’s Trails Fund and each year there’s been a new project that’s been funded. Since we started, with this one, I think we’ll be in the neighborhood of $150,000 that’s been raised from this event.
“And the other way we want to benefit the community is just to remember what Memorial Day is about. It’s too easy to think it’s a day off ... But Memorial Day is more than that. And we want this event to be a 15-minute reminder of what it’s about,” he continued.
He then introduced Fuchs.
“I look around at the number of people that are here and it kind of sets back a little bit in a good way. Tracey Yeager was my sister. I was her brother. I’m so thankful for that, and I see this legacy of her that she left behind, and to be a part of it is absolutely amazing,” he said.
He jumped at the chance to speak Monday, calling it an honor and a joy to be there.
“Memorial Day is not about a day off work. It’s not about a three-day weekend. It’s not about a cookout or ushering in summer with going to the cabin and doing fun things. It can’t be. There’s pictures on Facebook, there’s pictures on the Internet of widows, fully dressed up, laying at the graves of their husbands saying goodbye. That’s what it’s about. People that paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Fuchs said.
He then spoke about several of his friends who paid the ultimate price. Marine Captain Frank Hooks was an F-18 pilot who went down June 26, 2004, in the Eastern Atlantic and was never found. Adam Brown was a Navy SEAL on SEAL Team 6, had multiple injuries, but lost his life March 17, 2010, in Afghanistan, leaving behind a wife and two children.
“That’s what I think about on Memorial Day,” Fuchs said.
He said Jesus took his sister, Tracey, home on Memorial Day 2010. She was a veteran, and Fuchs said he also thinks of her on Memorial Day.
Fuchs then recalled listening to a decorated soldier speak about how the term “hero” is reserved for those who didn’t come home. “And that’s who we are honoring today,” he said.
Of those who did come home, he said there are veterans who need help with their job search that companies should actively seek to hire. He encouraged people to give back to charities that help veterans, and to thank all veterans and their families including those of the Vietnam War.
Warsaw Community High School graduate Nate Stone organized the first Tracey Yeager Memorial 5K in 2011 in honor of Tracey as part of his Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy project. Originally, it was a one-time event, but it was so successful that first year – having raised about $35,000 for the Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund – it continued on. It now supports Tracey’s Trails Fund.
The Tracey’s Trails Fund at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation supports the building, improving and maintaining of hiking/cycling trails, greenways and linear parks in Kosciusko County.
After the race started Monday, Steve Yeager said it’s always hard to tell how many people are involved in the 5K.
“They’ll come up with a number, but you’ve probably got 50 volunteers that aren’t running, and now we’ve got people that come just to listen to the speaker, which is pretty cool. I think last year we were probably around 1,000 people between all of that,” he said.
He said he was pretty excited about the amount of money they raise each year for Tracey’s Trails.
“We haven’t rolled out what last year’s funds are going toward, and it should happen anytime soon, so I’m really excited to announce that,” he said.
In the past, the funds raised from the 5K has sponsored the Shade Sails for the Winona Lake Limitless Park and the parking lot at the Heritage Trail.
A committee from the KCCF will meet to determine what the money raised from this year’s event will go toward in the future.
“We just try to find what we can do where we can put the money to work and make it happen. We don’t really want to contribute to some bigger project where you don’t really feel it and see it,” Steve said.
Participants in this year’s 5K included many returnees and some new faces.
The first person to cross the finish line was Randy Sterk, Warsaw, with a time of 17:24.52, according to the Kosciusko Runners Association. Second was Neal Butler with a time of 18:05.96.
Sterk said it was his first time running in the TYM5K, but he does run 5K sometimes.
“I was feeling OK at the start and kept going. I was hanging on at the end,” he said after the race while trying to catch his breath.
For the second consecutive year, a team from Jefferson Elementary School participated in the 5K.
“The Yeagers are a long-time family at Jefferson. We love to come to support Tracey’s Trails,” said Principal Kyle Carter. He said proceeds of the event go back into the Winona Lake community “so we’re glad to support it.”
Members of the Warsaw Community High School football team were supporting the race in two ways. Twelve seniors were pushing a car for myTEAM TRIUMPH and another dozen or so underclassmen were volunteering with whatever else needed to be done to make the 5K a success, according to Coach Phil Jensen.
myTEAM TRIUMPH is an athletic ride-along program created for children, teens, adults and veterans with disabilities who would normally not be able to experience endurance events such as triathlons or road races. Its website is at www.mtt-northernindiana.org
Jensen said in 2015 the football team decided to use the money from a fundraiser to buy a chair for myTEAM TRIUMPH. This is the second year members of the team got to push the car in the Tracey Yeager Memorial 5K, but the team has volunteered with the event every year.
“She (Tracey) was an awesome lady,” Jensen said, noting that Steve Yeager used to be his assistant coach.
Other participants came out in smaller groups.
Tanner Joy, 24, Winona Lake, was running in the event for the first year. It actually was his first-ever 5K.
“A friend of mine invited me to come out,” he said before the race. “I’ll try to do my best I guess and see what happens. I don’t have a specific time I’m shooting for.”
Cara Manuel, Warsaw, was with a small group that included her son, Cameron Manuel, and his best friend, Luke Yeager. Only Cameron was running, while Cara and Luke were walking.
“This is our third year. We are friends of the Yeagers and my son likes to run. We like to support the Yeagers,” she said.
Jogging with her husband Bill, Julie Kline, Warsaw, said this was the third year for to be in the event.
“Support the cause. Support Tracey, who was a friend and fought hard. And to get healthy,” she said of why she does it. Her goal was to finish in under 30 minutes.
Top (Admiral) sponsors of the 2016 5K were Wildman Business Group, PayProTec, Sym Financial and Seymour Midwest. Commander sponsors were Tecomet, Flexaust, Pulse FM, Mason Geiger Photography & Film, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Nutritional Services Inc. and Green Earth Multisport.[[In-content Ad]]
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The veteran was Commander Steven Fuchs, Tracey’s brother.
Tracey Yeager was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and fought it for five years. On May 31, 2010, she died at age 42. Tracey graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1990 and served as a Naval officer. She earned the rank of lieutenant, and resigned in 1999.
Fuchs was commissioned in 1999 in the Navy. He went on to flight school, was selected to fly the F-18 Hornet and the F-14 Tomcat, and flew 3,000 hours in Navy jets. He flew in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Air Medal. He flew over Baghdad the day the first free elections took place in Iraq.
While introducing Fuchs in a brief ceremony before the 5K, Steve Yeager, widower of Tracey Yeager, said there are two primary goals of the 5K.
“Number one, we want to remember Tracey and who she was and again, for a lot of us here, she was a really big part of our lives. And I know some of you don’t know who she was. So the second piece is, we honor her in a way that is beneficial to the community,” he said.
“And the two things that we try to do for the community in this event is number one, we raise funds. And those funds go toward outdoor recreation, trails, things that Tracey loved. We have a fund called the Tracey’s Trails Fund and each year there’s been a new project that’s been funded. Since we started, with this one, I think we’ll be in the neighborhood of $150,000 that’s been raised from this event.
“And the other way we want to benefit the community is just to remember what Memorial Day is about. It’s too easy to think it’s a day off ... But Memorial Day is more than that. And we want this event to be a 15-minute reminder of what it’s about,” he continued.
He then introduced Fuchs.
“I look around at the number of people that are here and it kind of sets back a little bit in a good way. Tracey Yeager was my sister. I was her brother. I’m so thankful for that, and I see this legacy of her that she left behind, and to be a part of it is absolutely amazing,” he said.
He jumped at the chance to speak Monday, calling it an honor and a joy to be there.
“Memorial Day is not about a day off work. It’s not about a three-day weekend. It’s not about a cookout or ushering in summer with going to the cabin and doing fun things. It can’t be. There’s pictures on Facebook, there’s pictures on the Internet of widows, fully dressed up, laying at the graves of their husbands saying goodbye. That’s what it’s about. People that paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Fuchs said.
He then spoke about several of his friends who paid the ultimate price. Marine Captain Frank Hooks was an F-18 pilot who went down June 26, 2004, in the Eastern Atlantic and was never found. Adam Brown was a Navy SEAL on SEAL Team 6, had multiple injuries, but lost his life March 17, 2010, in Afghanistan, leaving behind a wife and two children.
“That’s what I think about on Memorial Day,” Fuchs said.
He said Jesus took his sister, Tracey, home on Memorial Day 2010. She was a veteran, and Fuchs said he also thinks of her on Memorial Day.
Fuchs then recalled listening to a decorated soldier speak about how the term “hero” is reserved for those who didn’t come home. “And that’s who we are honoring today,” he said.
Of those who did come home, he said there are veterans who need help with their job search that companies should actively seek to hire. He encouraged people to give back to charities that help veterans, and to thank all veterans and their families including those of the Vietnam War.
Warsaw Community High School graduate Nate Stone organized the first Tracey Yeager Memorial 5K in 2011 in honor of Tracey as part of his Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy project. Originally, it was a one-time event, but it was so successful that first year – having raised about $35,000 for the Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund – it continued on. It now supports Tracey’s Trails Fund.
The Tracey’s Trails Fund at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation supports the building, improving and maintaining of hiking/cycling trails, greenways and linear parks in Kosciusko County.
After the race started Monday, Steve Yeager said it’s always hard to tell how many people are involved in the 5K.
“They’ll come up with a number, but you’ve probably got 50 volunteers that aren’t running, and now we’ve got people that come just to listen to the speaker, which is pretty cool. I think last year we were probably around 1,000 people between all of that,” he said.
He said he was pretty excited about the amount of money they raise each year for Tracey’s Trails.
“We haven’t rolled out what last year’s funds are going toward, and it should happen anytime soon, so I’m really excited to announce that,” he said.
In the past, the funds raised from the 5K has sponsored the Shade Sails for the Winona Lake Limitless Park and the parking lot at the Heritage Trail.
A committee from the KCCF will meet to determine what the money raised from this year’s event will go toward in the future.
“We just try to find what we can do where we can put the money to work and make it happen. We don’t really want to contribute to some bigger project where you don’t really feel it and see it,” Steve said.
Participants in this year’s 5K included many returnees and some new faces.
The first person to cross the finish line was Randy Sterk, Warsaw, with a time of 17:24.52, according to the Kosciusko Runners Association. Second was Neal Butler with a time of 18:05.96.
Sterk said it was his first time running in the TYM5K, but he does run 5K sometimes.
“I was feeling OK at the start and kept going. I was hanging on at the end,” he said after the race while trying to catch his breath.
For the second consecutive year, a team from Jefferson Elementary School participated in the 5K.
“The Yeagers are a long-time family at Jefferson. We love to come to support Tracey’s Trails,” said Principal Kyle Carter. He said proceeds of the event go back into the Winona Lake community “so we’re glad to support it.”
Members of the Warsaw Community High School football team were supporting the race in two ways. Twelve seniors were pushing a car for myTEAM TRIUMPH and another dozen or so underclassmen were volunteering with whatever else needed to be done to make the 5K a success, according to Coach Phil Jensen.
myTEAM TRIUMPH is an athletic ride-along program created for children, teens, adults and veterans with disabilities who would normally not be able to experience endurance events such as triathlons or road races. Its website is at www.mtt-northernindiana.org
Jensen said in 2015 the football team decided to use the money from a fundraiser to buy a chair for myTEAM TRIUMPH. This is the second year members of the team got to push the car in the Tracey Yeager Memorial 5K, but the team has volunteered with the event every year.
“She (Tracey) was an awesome lady,” Jensen said, noting that Steve Yeager used to be his assistant coach.
Other participants came out in smaller groups.
Tanner Joy, 24, Winona Lake, was running in the event for the first year. It actually was his first-ever 5K.
“A friend of mine invited me to come out,” he said before the race. “I’ll try to do my best I guess and see what happens. I don’t have a specific time I’m shooting for.”
Cara Manuel, Warsaw, was with a small group that included her son, Cameron Manuel, and his best friend, Luke Yeager. Only Cameron was running, while Cara and Luke were walking.
“This is our third year. We are friends of the Yeagers and my son likes to run. We like to support the Yeagers,” she said.
Jogging with her husband Bill, Julie Kline, Warsaw, said this was the third year for to be in the event.
“Support the cause. Support Tracey, who was a friend and fought hard. And to get healthy,” she said of why she does it. Her goal was to finish in under 30 minutes.
Top (Admiral) sponsors of the 2016 5K were Wildman Business Group, PayProTec, Sym Financial and Seymour Midwest. Commander sponsors were Tecomet, Flexaust, Pulse FM, Mason Geiger Photography & Film, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Nutritional Services Inc. and Green Earth Multisport.[[In-content Ad]]
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