Charleston Southern University

My name is Chelsie Snipes, and I am a freshman here at Charleston Southern University. My older brother, my best friend, is in infantry in the Marine Corps. He is currently deployed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and this is his first deployment. He is twenty years old, engaged, and has an eager family waiting for his arrival back at home.

My cousin, Josh, is also in the Marine Corps and deployed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, and this is his second deployment. My cousin Josh has a wife, a three year old son, and his whole family praying that he makes it home safely.

After receiving their rare phone calls, they have informed us of the conditions they are living in and how dangerous it really is over there. My cousin Josh has been there since August, and has yet to have a bath. The only option they have is to wipe off with a limited supplies of baby wipes and bottled water. At night, they say it is freezing and sometimes are wet from the waist down. The least Americans can do is take one day to show these boys how much we care.

Run For Your Freedom is a run for anyone who wants to participate. Money raised from this race will be used to send boxes of supplies overseas to United States Troops. If a runner has a family member or friend in the military, they may bring their name and address and personally send them a box. At the end of it all, we can make a photo album to send overseas, so our soldiers can personally see how much we care.