Their Sacrifice Our Freedom
Run For The Troops MA Inc. is a non-profit 501(c) (3) charitable organization dedicated to assisting our military heroes.
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Bill Pennington founded Run For The Troops to honor his parents and all those who serve our country. His mother served in the Marines and his father served in the Navy for 30 years. His desire to continue to honor and support veterans is fueled by the knowledge of the sacrifices his family, as well as all other veterans, have made.
“The 5k and the dinner are about giving people an opportunity to give thanks to the people who keep us safe,” he said. “I know so many people here who have made sacrifices. … And it’s not only those who fight, but those who hold down the fort at home too.”
“It’s priceless, to have our veterans here and to honor them,” said race director and founder Bill Pennington of Andover on the value of what has become an annual town tradition. “There is nothing special about this day — it’s all about the cause. There are lots of other 5Ks, but none of them are beating this … without this (cause), none of those other ones are possible.”
“You have to also remember the families, because they also serve indirectly. When their significant others and parents are away serving, they run the house,” said Pennington, himself the son of two veterans. “In some ways, they serve too.”
My former husband, Sgt. Joseph Smith and I were fortunate enough to be the first military family to receive help from Run For The Troops. We had never heard from them before. We were invited to Boston/Andover by this wonderful group of patriots. Bill was incredibly kind, putting us up at Phillips Academy and arranging for us to enjoy the...
I first heard about Run for the Troops about 10 years ago when making an announcement at Church about a Habitat for Humanity Veterans build project in Lawrence, MA. Afterwards Bill Pennington reached out to me about Run for the Troops and I've been involved as a team captain ever since. I've attended several of the annual dinners and love how...
When Bill Pennington was first trying to get Run For the Troops off the ground, he approached me as the then Director of Admissions of the Massachusetts School of Law asking me if we would like to get involved. I was very excited about helping. The law school fully supports our veterans, and we became an inaugural sponsor of the race. The law...
As a participant in all the Run for the Troops events, they have always been heartwarming, inspiring and enjoyable events. For me, this event is an important way to honor all Veterans and especially those in our family: our parents, our brother-in-law, my husband and our cousin. I am extremely proud of my brother, Founder Bill Pennington, for his year-round efforts to...
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