‘He’ll always be my son’: Hundreds turn out for 9/11 hike honoring fallen heroes

Dawn Biehl walked and jogged through the Riverside State Park forest Saturday, passing by banners with faces of fallen soldiers before she recognized her son’s name and photo.

She stopped, got her picture taken with him and continued forward in the 10th annual March for the Fallen Ruck, Run or Walk, an event honoring post-9/11 veterans who died in service or as a result of their service.

Biehl’s son, Staff Sgt. David Biehl, took his own life in 2011 at the age of 27. He served two tours in Iraq and a few years as a decorated U.S. Army recruiter in the Boise area.

“It’s sadness, but yet proud that he’s my son,” Dawn Biehl said of taking a photo next to her son’s banner. “He’ll always be my son.”

It was the largest turnout of the decadelong event, with over 320 people registered to walk or jog five, 10 or 15 kilometers starting from the Seven Mile Airstrip at the park, said Keirsten Lyons, director of the Washington State Fallen Heroes Project.

The participants started their hike shortly after 9:11 a.m. in recognition of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mike Stutzke, a retired first sergeant in the Army National Guard, started the march 10 years ago in memory of Jeremiah Schmunk. Schmunk was killed in action while saving Stutzke and his ambushed unit in 2004 in Iraq, Stutzke said.

The first banner participants saw on the course was that of Schmunk, who was 20 years old when he died. Stutzke said he didn’t expect the march to last 10 years, so it’s gratifying seeing it bigger than it’s ever been, with so many people honoring Schmunk and the numerous other Inland Northwest veterans who lost their lives since 9/11.

“It still chokes me up when I get out here and see the people and the support and the love,” Stutzke said.

Lyons said 350 Fallen Heroes banners lined the race course.

Toby Knapp, a member of the Army National Guard in Spokane, said he looked at each banner during his ruck and recognized a couple names and faces. Knapp carried 40 pounds on his back.

“When I come here, I’m in their footsteps shadowing them pretty much,” Knapp said of the fallen soldiers. “So, they were here before me. They did a lot more than me.”

Lyons’ son, Sgt. Jake Hess, was one of the soldiers featured on the banner. Hess, a Marine, died in 2014.

“You learn how to carry it better, but it doesn’t go away,” Lyons said.

She said she’s met many of the families who have a loved one’s banner on the course. When she sees the banners, she recalls pieces of information the soldier’s family told her about them, which brings that soldier to life again, Lyons said.

“That’s the most important thing, that they’re not forgotten,” she said.

Lyons said sharing grief with other Gold Star families, or families who lost a loved one in military service, helps greatly. The march allows families to do that.

“There can be joy in that, when you start to share the stories of your loved ones and they become a person instead of just a name and a face,” she said.

Dawn Biehl, who wore a blue “March for the Fallen” shirt, also said the march is a good time for families to get together for support.

She said dealing with the loss of a loved one is a different journey for everyone. Sometimes a song or movie, like Forrest Gump, will trigger memories of her son.

She said David Biehl, who grew up in Spokane, loved to quote the Tom Hanks movie. She recalled her son often cheering up people who were having a bad day. He loved hunting and was an “all-around good guy.”

“There’s no timetable,” Dawn Biehl said. “You learn to live with it. It’s kind of a new normal, but we’re always remembering them and their lives. It does definitely change you when something like this happens.”

Kelly Kiki, president of Veterans Community Response, taught David Biehl at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley.

Kiki, who emceed Saturday’s march, told the crowd he recalled Biehl being one of the several students who gathered behind him to watch the “archaic TV” in the corner of the classroom the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

“I’ll never forget the gasp in that room when that first tower fell,” Kiki said.

Kiki, now a teacher at North Central High School in Spokane, said Biehl told him that day he would fight. He made good on his word, later joining the Army.

Kiki said Biehl became a good friend of his years later, and he even invited him to help teach his classes when covering the Middle East.

Kiki said Biehl struggled through darkness others didn’t see, and his former student and friend stands as a reminder for the purpose of March for the Fallen and Veterans Community Response, which helps combat veterans heal from their mental scars.

“His time in service took something from him,” Kiki said of Biehl.

Veteran resources, including Veterans Community Response, had booths set up on the airstrip. BBQ food, a grilled cheese truck, a beer garden and a climbing wall were available for all to enjoy. A large wall with photos of area veterans who lost their lives was on display.

Beige and red, white and blue military boots were given to the participants who completed the course the fastest and who carried the heaviest pack.

Lyons said participants walked, jogged and rucked with a specially made military dog tag with the name of a fallen hero represented on the banners.