This year I have the honor of celebrating Capt Jimmy Lee Jenkins while I run through the 5 boroughs of New York City for the 2025 NYC Marathon. I will be participating in a special fundraiser in support of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS provides direct support to families who have been impacted by a death in the military regardless of geography or circumstance.

Jimmy Lee and I met at the Air Force Academy in 1983. He seemed to be good at everything, a natural leader. Well, not quite everything; he wasn't particularly good at long distance running. At the end of our tough freshman year, he and I participated in a culmination event that required a lot of running. Jimmy Lee finished because he had an iron will to get the job done, not because he was a runner. After that year we switched cadet squadrons, but we stayed in touch through our mutual sponsor family, Wayne and Claudia. 

When we graduated in 1987, Jimmy Lee headed to pilot training, ultimately joining the 36th Airlift Squadron as a C-141 pilot. A tragic nighttime air refueling accident over the skies of north-central Montana killed Jimmy Lee and 12 other Airmen on 30 November 1992. 

The funds I raise will flow directly into TAPS programming which supports these families through an amazing network of resources, seminars and publications. TAPS provides these services at no charge to survivors from all branches of the service, including Reserves and National Guard. TAPS’ programs and services are available not only for immediate family, but also for extended family and friends. Please help me honor our fallen heroes by supporting me in this effort.  No donation is too big or too small. 

Thank you!