"I don’t think I’m a hero. I was just trying to help."
The race didn’t go the way Lance Cpl. Kerr thought it would but it had a far better ending than anyone hoped for.
“Sometimes, you don’t have to win to be a winner.” – Unknown
This quote may sound confusing, but we have the perfect example for it. Eight years ago, Lance Corporal Myles Kerr was all set to run the 5k at the Venetian Festival in Charlevoix.
He made sure he prepared for the event.
He even wore boots and carried a rucksack.
Kerr started strong.
So, it’s just normal that everyone was waiting for him to finish and win the race. However, several minutes had already passed, but there was no sign of him.
That’s not typical for the young, strong, and healthy Kerr. So his teammates became worried.
They thought, maybe, something might have happened to him. He may have collapsed or suffered an injury.
Soon, they got impatient with waiting, and they ran back to the course to see what happened to Kerr. Before they started, they saw Kerr coming towards the finished line.
With him was a little boy.
As it turned out, Kerr decided to drop back at the race to help a boy.
While Kerr was running, he noticed a boy who was running alone.
“He was walking when I ran by him,” Kerr recalled. “I looked at him and said, ‘Hey, little guy, you alright?’ And he said, ‘Will you run with me?’”
The kind marine found out that the 9-year-old boy was already having problems catching up with his group.
Sadly, he had fallen behind, and he didn’t know what to do.
Kerr came to his rescue.
Boden Fuchs was the little boy wanting a running partner, and Kerr stepped up. Even though it meant giving up first position in the race.
As a marine, Kerr has committed to helping the people in need, and the boy was one of them. He agreed to accompany the boy and even motivated him throughout the race.
There were many instances when Fuchs wanted to quit the race.
Kerr told him to keep going.
With his help and his presence, the boy tried his best.
Kerr didn’t leave Fuchs.
He stayed with him until they crossed the finish line just around the 35-minute mark. That night, someone posted Kerr and Fuchs’ race photo on Facebook
He explained what happened and shared how kind-hearted Kerr was to stick with the child and stay behind.
“By his unwavering commitment to help those in need through his ability to inspire others by his unequivocal level of motivation, Lcpl Kerr reflected great credit upon himself and was keeping in the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps.”
The photo became viral.
“I just thought it was cool someone actually got a picture of me running with him,” Kerr said to ABC News. “Then, my recruiter ended up posting it and that’s when it took off.”
Fuchs family also handed him a $100 restaurant gift card to give thanks. Kerr said he would use it before returning to California.
Kerr doesn’t consider himself a hero.
“As a Marine, we try to reach out and help as much as we can,” he said in his interview. “I don’t think I’m a hero. I was just trying to help.”
For this humble marine, it was the right thing to do, but for Fuchs and all of us, he’s a hero.
He may not have finished the race in record-breaking time, but he made a difference for this young boy.
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Source : https://spotlightstories.co