Action 353 - Honor Heroes (Mile 16).

I am dedicating each mile that I run in the Pasadena Marathon to another Marine Corps hero who has made the ultimate sacrifice, so that in my own small way, they may be honored, acknowledged, and remembered.

Action 353 - Honor Heroes (Mile 16). I will run mile twelve in honor of 1st Lt Jared Landacker.

The 25-year-old Big Bear High School graduate completed flight school near the top of his class, meaning he could have flown any aircraft he wanted. Rather than fly jets, he chose helicopters.

Landaker was killed Feb. 14 when a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter was hit by insurgents and crashed in Iraq’s Anbar province, killing all seven aboard.

“What he was doing everyday was waiting for a buzzer to go off to go save a Marine’s life. He ended up dying doing that,” said longtime friend 1st Lt. Matt Jackson, 27, of Orange who flies helicopters for the Army.

Marine 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker died February 7, 2007, serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

25, of Big Bear City, Calif.; assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Feb. 7 when the helicopter he was flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

(Photo and summary courtesy of militarytimes.com.)