My name is Mary Garr Ponder.  My father Captain Edward Garr - RET was a Marine until the day he passed. During his retired years, he traveled to Viet Nam over 120 times taking other Veterans and their families back to the Country they fought in.   This was his mission in life during his retirement.  On March 14, 2015 while he was in Viet Nam (his last trip at age 82 and retiring again) I recevied a call from my mother that my father had a stroke.  I was in Sarasota FL preparing for my last half marathon of the season.  My friends rushed me back to Ocala and when I walked into my parents home the first question I was asked, who in the family had an active passport.  My son Randal and I were the two choices, my son insisted that he be the one to travel to Viet Nam.  Randal brought my dad home 28 days  after arriving in Viet Nam.  My father passed  away a week later with my mother at his side who is also a Retired Marine. This was a huge loss to my family.

I decided at my dad's funeral that I wanted to run the Marine Corp Marathon in his honor. I've never done a Marathon before but if I'm going to do one.... I'm going big.  I contacted my father's friends and co-workers with Military Historical Tours in Washington, DC and they have offered me two spots on the Iwo Jima Association of America, IJAA Team for the Marine Corp Marathon October 2016.

The money that Traci Ball and I will be  raising will go towards sending Veterans back to Iwo Jima.  To send one veteran back the cost is $6000.00. Our goal is to raise enough money to send one Veteran to Iwo Jima if not more.  

 The Marine Life has been in my blood since birth.  My siblings and I grew up on many Marine bases  through out the United States.  It's who we are, it's what our parents have instilled in us, it's what we know in life.

Traci's has Military Blood running through her as well, her grandfather is Retired Navy and her father was  Navy Corpsman (HM3 - FMF) who served along side the Marines in Viet Nam (1966-1967). To this day he always says he is still on this earth because of a FEW GOOD MEN.  

This is dream come true for me and I know that my father would be so proud that I am raising money for something he believed in until the day he died.  Help us meet and exceed our goal.  We will appreciate every contribution big or small that is donated.