Woman runs Army Marathon in memory of two brothers

With Family, for Family
By Daniel Cernero
Fort Hood Sentinel Sports Editor
APRIL 25, 2013
SPORTS

TEMPLE - For years now, Monica Velez has turned to running the Marine Corps Marathon as a way to deal with the emotional toll of losing her two brothers, Cpl. Jose “Freddy” Velez and Spc. Andrew Velez.

On Sunday, in the inaugural Army Marathon, Monica set out on yet another marathon, this one on the same ground she’d run with Freddy years ago.

“It’s just a lot of emotions,” said Monica, running with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors team, before the start of the race. “I lived here with my brother Freddy for quite some time, with him and his wife Nickie. As young adults, this was our first place away from home. We were together and kind of experiencing life.”

That was in 2003, when Freddy, a 1st Cavalry Division Soldier was stationed at Fort Hood before a deployment to Iraq. In 2004, on Veterans Days, Freddy was killed in Fallujah. Two years later, Andrew took his own life while deployed in Afghanistan.

Running, something Monica had always down with her Family, became her outlet.

“It brings back good memories, and I can sit and get lost within those memories and just enjoy myself,” she said. “I’ll cry and I’ll run and I’ll cry. This is the only place that I can scream out loud and everybody gets it; they’ll even scream with you.”
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