American soldiers and veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for each of us, and continue to put themselves in harm’s way whenever, wherever they are asked.

It is nice to know that there are local organizations that support our heroes when they need us.

One such organization is the Fort Leonard Wood-Mid-Missouri Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) based in St. Robert, Mo.

The group is comprised of approximately 600 individuals both with and without a military background, as well as 180 corporate members from surrounding communities.

One aspect of support is their Warrior in Need fund.

This fund supports Missouri Army National Guard and Army Reserve service members and families in the state, and active-duty personnel stationed at Fort Leonard Wood.

With the capability and network of members and corporate sponsors, a soldier experiencing major illness, injury, or catastrophe can receive financial aid from this fund usually within 24 hours.

None of the monies donated to this fund are used for overhead: 100 percent of monies received goes directly to support the soldier and the family.

Instances in which the fund has assisted include providing necessary accommodations to soldiers’ homes due to suffering severe physical injuries, providing travel costs for a family to be at the bedside of a soldier diagnosed with illness and requiring major surgery, and providing for lodging and travel for families to be at the bedside of recovering soldiers due to injuries that required special treatment and rehab at another installation.

At the Honoring our Heroes Marathon Thank You Dinner, Eric Goser of Rolla, an AUSA chapter member and spokesperson, was presented a check for $2,000 for the Warrior in Need Fund.

Over $10,000 was raised from the marathon, with the remainder of the funds donated to the Dent County Veterans Emergency Fund.

The next Honoring our Heroes Marathon (with a half marathon and 5K) is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Local veterans will still be the beneficiaries of monies raised: 50 percent of the funds will go to Dent County veterans and 50 percent to Phelps County veteran causes and the Warrior in Need Fund.

The Heroes Marathon committee asks for the support of the community for this event.

Call (573) 729-1041, or visit the website at HeroesMarathon.com for information on how to register to walk or run, volunteer or become a sponsor.

(Editor’s note: This article and picture were reprinted with permission from The Rolla Daily News.)