The 10th annual Memorial Day Walk for the Fallen is set for May 27. The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. at the Smothers Park Shelton Memorial, followed by an 11-mile walk.
The event is free to join, and organizers encourage everyone to attend. The first 50 participants to register will receive a complimentary T-shirt. The walk will begin and end at Smothers Park.
Derek “Doc” Van Tuyl, a U.S. Army veteran who was a member of the 101st Airborne stationed at Fort Campbell, created the event in 2014. He was a combat medic and completed one tour in Iraq (2004-2005) and one tour in Afghanistan (2008-2009).
Initially, the walk was simply a way for Van Tuyl to remember his fellow soldiers who lost their lives during deployment. The event steadily grew each year before Veterans Empowered Together (VET) began partnering with Van Tuyl in 2021.
“Doc started all of this,” said VET Director Brian Basham. “He’s a founding member of VET, so when we got together, we immediately started brainstorming more ideas for improving the walk.”
Basham said he and his team are always amazed by the community’s continued support.
“Owensboro is the best,” he said. “I would put our community up with any about showing support and love for veterans. It means the world to us because we couldn’t do what we do without the community. The way they get behind us is a blessing.”
The Civitan Club is the primary sponsor of the event, with Mandy Masterson and Russellburg Lawn Care sponsoring the two aid stations. KB Designs, D. Hale Photography, and Cycle Works Choppers also sponsor the event.
