Posted: May 18, 2006

Athletics: Memorial Day Tribute at 2006 BolderBOULDER

McCandless family to be honored

BOULDER, Colo. - (May 17, 2006) - An important part of the BolderBOULDER 10K road race is to honor the men and women who have served our country during peace and war and who have given their lives fighting for our freedom. BolderBOULDER's Memorial Day Tribute, after the citizens' race, includes the presentation of the Nation's Colors, a 21-gun salute by the NROTC Marines, Taps, a fly-over by USMC squadron VMFA (AW)-224, a sky dive and the singing of our national anthem. With as many as 50,000 spectators filling Folsom Field, the BolderBOULDER Memorial Day Tribute has become the nation's largest Memorial Day Celebration. The festivities begin in Folsom Field at 10:58am on Memorial Day, May 29.

The Mile-Hi Sky Diving team again will be jumping into the largest Memorial Day gathering in the United States. Each of the first five jumpers will carry down a flag representing the five different branches of the United States Armed Services followed by the final jumper who will bare a 30-foot stars and stripes.

This year, we will recognize Bruce McCandless II, during the Memorial Day Tribute, on behalf of the McCandless family. The McCandless family is a true Colorado legend. See the below.

* Capt. Bruce McCandless II, (USN, Ret): Bruce graduated second in his class, has flown on two Space Shuttle missions and did the first un-tethered space walk in history.

* Bryon McCandless (Bruce's grandfather): During World War I, as Commanding Officer of the destroyer USS Caldwell, Commander McCandless was awarded the Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor.

In 1919, a National Geographic magazine article cited Byron as the foremost expert on flags in the world. President Roosevelt requested Commodore Byron McCandless to re-design the Presidential Flag. Six weeks after the end of World War II, President Harry S Truman introduced the official Presidential Flag. The Official Seal of the President of the United States was also designed by McCandless.

* Commander Willis Winter Bradley (Bruce McCandless II's maternal grandfather) Commander Willis Winter Bradley was a Naval Academy classmate of Byron McCandless, graduating two years after him. During World War I, then Lieutenant Bradley was the first American of any branch of service to earn the Medal of Honor in that war. Following his own distinguished Naval Career, Commander Bradley served in the Eightieth U.S. Congress as a representative from California.

* Bruce McCandless, I (Bruce II's father and Medal of Honor recipient) graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1938. Lieutenant Commander Bruce McCandless was awarded the Medal of Honor for his supreme courage and superb leadership that resulted in victory in the face of overwhelming odds in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (12-13 November 1942). He was also given a meritorious promotion to the rank of Commander in recognition of this achievement.

* City of Florence, Colorado named for Bruce II's aunt.

* Three generations of USNA graduates: Bradley, Byron, Bruce, and Bruce II are all United States Naval Academy Graduates ('07, '05, '32, '58).

* USS McCandless (FF-1084) - This warship was named in honor of Commodore Byron McCandless and his son Rear Admiral Bruce McCandless. It is one of those unique instances, rare in Naval history, when a ship has been named for two individuals. The USS McCandless (FF-1084) is a warship of 4,200 tons (full load), length 438 feet, built by the Avondale Shipyard, Westwego, Louisiana. It was commissioned March 18, 1972.The ship was placed in reserve status in 1991. On May 6, 1994 she was decommissioned and transferred the Turkish Navy as TCG Trakya (F-254).

During the Memorial Day Tribute, BolderBOULDER will honor these Medal of Honor recipients and pay homage to all U.S. veterans.

Once again, a special Memorial Day "back bib" will be available for any participant who would like to run the race in honor of a family member or friend who served in the Armed Forces of the United States. Honoring those who have served, BolderBOULDER has dedicated three special waves to those participants who are members or veterans of the United States Military. Join us in the "M" wave if you are a runner or in the "P" wave if you are a jog/walker. Family and friends of the military are also welcome in either of these waves. The honorary back bibs are available at the BolderBOULDER store at 3105 28th Street in Boulder and in the FlatIrons Mall in Broomfield. Celestial Seasonings Race Ambassadors will also be handing out the back bibs on race day at the start area and in Folsom Field on race day.

The Marines will conduct the 2006 Flyover, including pilots Lt. Col. Lex Brown, Capt. Jeremy Siegel, Capt. Chip Jones, Capt. John Bailey, Capt. Dennis Dalton, Maj. Hunter Kellogg, Capt Garrett Lawton and Lt. Col. Russ Clatterbuck.

The Marine Corps Rifle Team from the University of Colorado NROTC will provide the 21-Gun Salute. The presentation of colors will be by the Navy and Marines of the NROTC Unit at CU. Mr. Stuart Boone and Mr. Bill Wilkenson will play taps. Platt Middle School teacher John Riggs will once again perform the Star Spangled Banner.

About BolderBOULDER
The Celestial Seasonings BolderBOULDER 10K, a Running USA Founding Member, is the 2nd largest running race in the USA and the 6th largest in the world. The race attracts up to 50,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers and draws professional racing teams from all over the world to compete for the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing. The 28th BolderBOULDER will be held on Memorial Day, May 29, 2006. For more information, go to: BolderBOULDER.com.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.

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