On Sunday September 27, 2015, a team of walkers consisting of veterans, military spouses and civilians carried stones from The Summit Project (TSP) in the MAINEiacs Charities 5K in Bangor. MAINEiacs Charities is a non-profit organization based out of the Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor. Every year in the fall, they hold their 5K and Half Marathon as part of their fundraising efforts. The team was built and lead by a member of the MAINEiac family, who decided this year she would like to carry a TSP stone and then felt the need to bring awareness of MAINEiacs Charities and The Summit Project to others, so she began asking friends and family to join her team. There were twelve walkers total who honored and remembered the lives of fourteen Maine fallen service members.
The team gathered at the back of the runners and walked the entire 5K as a team, starting and finishing together. Some of the team members carried the stones in their hands while some carried packs. It took the team 1 hour and 2 minutes to complete the race and as they rounded the last corner before the finish line, pulled out the TSP banner. The team was the last to cross the finish line for the 5K portion of the race, but due to the big welcome of cheers from the MAINEiac family, they felt like they came in first place.
Following the race, the team proceeded to Cole Land Transportation Museum where they held their stone ceremony near the Vietnam Memorial. A small circle was formed as they shared the lives and stories of each service member whose stone was carried that day. Afterward, the stones were placed upon the TSP banner on a larger raised stone and the team observed a moment of silence for the sacrifices made not only by the service members but also by their families.
The following fallen service members were honored and remembered during this 5K: SRA Dustin Hadfield from Mechanic Falls, PFC Blaine Adams from Farmington, SPC Deon Taylor from Lexington, SPC Cassandra Cassavant from Cornish, SPC Christopher Wilson, SSG Lynn Poulin from Freedom, SSG Dale Kelly Jr from Richmond, SGT Thomas Dostie from Somerville, SGT Corey Dan from Norway, SGT Nicholas Robertson from Holden, LCPL Joshua Bernard from New Portland, CPL Andrew Hutchins from New Portland, PFC Tyler Springmann from Hartland, CPT John Brainard III from Dover-Foxcroft, and SPC Christopher Wilson from Bangor.