ARLINGTON, VA — Three active duty Marine veterans celebrated a reunion with one another during the 41st Marine Corps Marathon, Oct. 30, 2016.
Jaclyn Halsey, Kasey Miller and Molly Zimmer went to Marine Corps boot camp together at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, Jan. 26th, 2009.
Their friendship started at Parris Island, where experiences and memories took place.
“We were in boot camp for Easter,” said Halsey. “So we ended up being the early recruits for chow Easter morning, and we got to eat chow by ourselves. No [Drill Instructor’s], no platoon or anything like that.”
The bond forged during their time at Parris Island influenced common goals and interests, like running a marathon someday.
All three of them exited the Marine Corps in 2012 and went their separate ways, but the ladies have maintained their friendship ever since.
“We’ve been inseparable since we came into the Marine Corps, and the Marine Corps meant the world to us,” said Miller. “We decided we wanted to run a marathon and if we were going to run one it was going to be the Marine Corps Marathon.”
Because of their distance from each other, they had to resort to social media to update and motivate each other on their goal.
“We started a chat on Facebook, and every run we ran the same day,” said Zimmer. “We just kept supporting each other through the entire training.”
Through the support they gave each other, they were able to complete the 26.2-mile course through the National Capital Region, finishing their first marathon at approximately the 4.5-hour mark. The atmosphere of the 30,000 runners surrounding them during their reunion will be a memory they won’t forget.
By Cpl. Warren Smith
