Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Bi-monthly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security
Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/140140
Nate's Run: Run in freedom, for freedom T Matt franco, of Baltimore, leads the pack of participants during the fifth annual nate Bruckenthal Memorial Run at the Coast guard Yard in Baltimore, april 27, 2013. Photo by Pa3 Matthew S. Masaschi he Fifth Annual Nate Bruckenthal Memorial Run was held at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore Saturday, April 27. More than 80 people participated in the five-kilometer event in honor of Coast Guardsman Nathan Bruckenthal, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Each year the event is coordinated by the Coast Guard Yard's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program, the Chief Warrant Officers Association, the Chief Petty Officers Association, the Coast Guard Enlisted Association and the Greater Baltimore Area Coast Guard Spouses Association. "This is the second year in a row that we have brought a group from (Coast Guard) Station Philadelphia," said Petty Officer First Class Michael Lennox. "Though I didn't know Nate (Bruckenthal), I worked in the same unit that he did in Miami and I feel like I had to come to honor him." Awards and prizes were given to the top two male and female finishers in the following age categories: 15 & under, 1618, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and over. The best overall times for male and female runners will have their name placed on a plaque in the Coast Guard Yard galley. "I came to support a good cause," said overall winner Matt Franco of Baltimore. "It is a nice event every year." All proceeds from the run will go to support Nate's Open Door, a non-profit baby pantry that helps military members and civilian employees in the Baltimore area. � — Submitted by PA1 Tasha Tully Nate's Open Door pantry N athan B. "Nate" Bruckenthal, a Damage Controlman Third Class, was killed April 24, 2004, while serving a second deployment in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nate was killed along with Navy Petty Officer First Class Michael Pernaselli, of Monroe, N.Y., and Petty Officer Second Class Christopher Watts, of Knoxville, Tenn., when the group intercepted a waterborne suicide attack on the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal off the coast of Iraq. Nate was the first Coast Guardsman to be killed during wartime since the Vietnam War. "Nate's Open Door was started in Baltimore in 2004 by (Coast Guard) Chief Teresa Padilla, Chaplain Michael Tomlinson, and me" said co-founder Ramona Vazquez. "I knew Nate when we worked together in Miami. Since then I have become very close with his family and I learned what an incredible humanitarian he was." Nate's wife, Pattie, was pregnant with their daughter, Harper, at the time Nate was killed. Pattie's sudden loss and unforeseen hardship inspired Vazquez to continue assisting struggling families. "I am a Coast Guard wife and we are a Coast Guard family, and I understand needing help from time to time and having no family nearby," confessed Vazquez. "Nate's Open Door just helps take the edge off the financial struggle for those who need it." With support from the command at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Nate's Open Door opened in 2005 and is located near the Coast Guard Exchange at the Coast Guard Yard and is run by the Greater Baltimore Area Coast Guard Spouse Association. "Everything is offered to families for free, no strings attached. Another thing is that the doors are always open, we never lock them," said Vazquez. "Nate's father, Ric, once said 'When one door closes, another door opens.' He was referring to his son's death, and the birth of his new granddaughter, but we feel that it may be true for the pantry too. It can be difficult for some families 24 RESERVIST � Issue 2 • 2013 noabeth Bruckenthal, nate Bruckenthal's sister, and Laurie freiman, nate Bruckenthal's mother, visit nate's open door after participating in the fifth annual nathan Bruckenthal Memorial Run at the Coast guard Yard in Baltimore, april 27, 2013. all proceeds from the fve-kilometer event are used to support nate's open door, a new and used baby goods pantry located at the Coast guard Yard in Baltimore. the pantry helps military and civilian families by offering free baby items. Photo by Pa1 tasha tully to accept help and we keep the doors open so that people can maintain anonymity if they want to." The pantry offers baby clothes from zero months to 6T, along with furniture, diapers, wipes and other donated items. "It is also an exchange," added Vazquez. "When you're done using the clothes, and if they are still in good condition, you can exchange them for the next size up." Donations to Nate's Open Door are always needed and always welcome. � For more information on how you can contribute, check out: www.coastguardspouseassociation.org/WhatWeDo/ NatesOpenDoorPantryandExchange.aspx