Wednesday, May 25, 2016

600 Miles of Remembrance:
Drivers Honor Fallen Military

Below are the first ten of forty fallen to be honored:



No. 1 car: Lance Cpl. Scott Albert Lynch, U.S. Marine Corps

  • Date of birth: April 20, 1988
  • Hometown: Greenwood Lake, N.Y.
  • Date of death: Oct. 6, 2010, Afghanistan
  • Note: Lynch was former squad mates with No. 1 back-up tire changer and Marine Corps veteran Mark Singleton.
 *****



No. 2 car: Spc. Joseph T. Prentler, U.S. Army

  • Date of birth: Feb. 11, 1990
  • Hometown: Fenwick, Mich.
  • Date of death: Oct. 4, 2010, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan
  • Note: Prentler was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment based in Vilseck, Germany.
  *****



No. 3 car: Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Mark "Badger" Carter (SEAL), U.S. Navy

  • Date of birth: June 11, 1980
  • Hometown: Fallbrook, Calif.
  • Date of death: Dec. 11, 2007, Balad, Iraq
  • Note: Among numerous other awards, Carter was the recipient of two Bronze stars with "V" for Valor, Joint Service Commendation Medal with "V," and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. He was chosen by a group of Navy SEALS befriended by Austin Dillon to be honored on the No. 3 car.
 *****


No. 4 car: Lance Cpl. Nathan Ross Elrod, U.S. Marine Corps

  • Date of birth: April 21, 1986
  • Hometown: Rockwell, N.C.
  • Date of death: Oct. 21, 2006, Iraq
 *****



No. 5 car: Lance Cpl. Eric Levi Ward, U.S. Marine Corps

  • Date of birth: Aug. 17, 1990
  • Hometown: Redmond, Wash.
  • Date of death: Feb. 21, 2010, Afghanistan
  • Note: Ward was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
  *****




No. 6 car: Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason William McCormack, U.S. Army

  • Date of birth: Sept. 3, 1972
  • Hometown: Enterprise, Ala.
  • Date of death: Nov. 23, 2015, Republic of South Korea
  • Note: McCormack completed three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan during his career. He served with the brother of Brett Reckert, a pit crew member for the No. 6 XFINITY Series team.
  *****




No. 7 car: Lance Cpl. Cody Stevens Childers, U.S. Marine Corps

  • Date of birth: March 2, 1991
  • Hometown: Chesapeake, Va.
  • Date of death: Aug. 20, 2010, Afghanistan
  • Note: A close friend of team owner Tommy Baldwin served with Childers.
  *****



No. 10 car: Lance Cpl. Benito "Cheeks" Ramirez, U.S. Marine Corps

  • Date of birth: July 28, 1984
  • Hometown: Edinburg, Texas
  • Date of death: May 21, 2006, Iraq
  • Note: Ramirez served two tours in Iraq and volunteered for a third.
  *****




No. 11 car: Sgt. John Davis Harvey, U.S. Marine Corps

  • Date of birth: May 30, 1958
  • Hometown: Roanoke, Va.
  • Date of death: April 25, 1980, Operation Eagle Claw in Iran
  *****



No. 13 car: Spc. Christopher Shane Wright, U.S. Army

  • Date of birth: Jan. 31, 1987
  • Hometown: Tollesboro, Ky.
  • Date of death: Aug. 19, 2010, Afghanistan
  • Note: Among other awards received during his service, Wright -- who was an Army Ranger -- was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal and Army Commendation Medal.

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