After completing a 5k race in Michigan last week, several Marines could not find one of their group, Lance Cpl. Myles Kerr. As it turned out, he was not hurt or lost, he was running with a young boy who had been separated from his fellow runners.
A photo of the pair running lit up the Internet this week, garnering more than 200,000 likes.
As told by Seal of Honor:
For the 5k at the Venetian Festival in Charlevoix, Lcpl Kerr opted to run the event wearing boots and utes and carrying a ruck sack. Several minutes after the other Marines he was with had finished, Lcpl Kerr still had not crossed the line. They feared his extreme level of motivation may have caused him injury and/or fatigue resulting in him dropping out of the race. Moments before they ran back through the course to recover their fellow Marine, Lcpl Kerr came around the last turn along with this small boy. The boy had become separated from those who he had started the race with. He asked Lcpl Kerr, "Sir? Will you please run with me?" Throughout the course, Lcpl Kerr urged him on when the boy wanted to give up and ensured that the boy saw the course to completion where he was reunited with his party. By his unwavering commitment to help those in need through his ability to inspire others by his unequivocal level of motivation, Lcpl Kerr reflected great credit upon himself and was keeping in the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps.
"This picture really took off," Kerr wrote on Twitter, where he has also thanked people for kind words. You can like the photo here.
@Radiocartman I was just doing what any man would do, but thank you!
— Myles M. Kerr (@Myles_Kerr) July 31, 2013