Koch’s son, U.S. Army Cpl. Steven Koch, was killed in Afghanistan in 2008. His daughter, Lynne C. Koch, who was especially close to her younger brother, took her own life in 2010. Koch and his wife, Christine, have another son, William III. “Lynne was the oldest; Steven was the youngest,” Koch said. “So, you see, post-traumatic stress touched us, too.”
As he has every year since the race began, Koch arrived early Saturday morning at the Busch Campus to help kick off the race. More than 350 participants entered the race – running, walking in wheelchairs or on artificial limbs. The fastest time for men, aged 18 to 21, was 16 minutes, 19 seconds; for women, 16 minutes, 22 seconds. Each participant had sponsors who made pledges, raising between $32,000 and $34,000.
Capt. Brian Fiddermon, an ROTC instructor at Rutgers who administers the race, said Run for the Warriors – dedicated to those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, their families and families of the fallen – unites the entire community, military and civilian alike.
“People take part to show support for people in uniform and for veterans, to say thanks for their sacrifice,” Fiddermon said.
All proceeds benefit wounded warriors and their families through Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit that helps veterans, particularly wounded veterans, return to civilian life. The organization offers support in areas the military and the Veterans Administration do not – providing everything from practical items like a good-fitting suit for a job interview to long-term assistance for a family whose son or father is in the hospital.
Koch learned about the race in 2008 by connecting with Fiddermon’s predecessor, Doug Larsen, then an army captain and an instructor with the Army ROTC battalion who established Run for the Warriors as way for the ROTC battalion to connect with the community and with veterans.
“I asked if there was anything I or my family could do to help out with the first run,” Koch recalled.As Larsen remembers it: “One day, Bill Koch just walked into my office. He gave us some money for a sponsorship, more than he needed to.”
Larsen had some idea of Koch’s need for connection. His best friend from high school, Marine 1st Lt. Ronald Winchester, had been killed in Iraq in 2004. They had been friends since high school and had played against each other in the Army-Navy football game in 2000, Larsen for Army, Winchester for Navy. That year, Larsen ran in the race wearing his friend’s U.S. Naval Academy jersey. Larsen also made Bill Koch’s son, Steven, an honorary race participant.
Koch’s wife, Christine, who ran in the race last year, also attended this year, but illness prevented her from running. William III ran, however, and finished in 19 minutes.
Larsen, out of the army now and selling medical equipment, did not run Saturday but came with hisyoung children in support of all those people who, like him, saw battle and returned, and in the memory of all those who did not.
