The Kansas University (KU) Navy Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) unit honored and remembered a fallen midshipman, during a vigil and memorial run from the campus to Alma, Kansas, Sept. 23.

United Sates Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Nicholas Andrew Herren lost his life in a car accident, Nov. 27, 2016.

On Sept. 23, 2017, the KU Navy ROTC unit remembered 2nd Lt. Herren's compassion, humor, humility, his devotion to God, country, family and friends with the first ever Nicholas Andrew Herren Memorial Run.

Herren had always dreamed to have the unit run from Lawrence to his house in Alma. In light of this, a Marine Corps team of 10 members within the unit raced a 10-person Navy team, relay style, from the Military Science Building in Lawrence, to his home in Alma, 72 miles away. Despite a close race, with both teams averaging a six-minute mile pace, the Marine Corps team arrived in Alma first by six minutes. Once in Alma, the unit held a barbecue with the Herren family and friends.

After the barbecue, the entire unit ran through the city of Alma to visit Herren's headstone. The event concluded with the unit hiking to the lieutenant's favorite spot atop a hill overlooking Mill Creek in Alma, where his father built a bench for him. The unit laid a plaque commemorating the event.

"The Nick Herren Memorial Run is an opportunity to remember and honor Nick's legacy, as well as display our values of teamwork, friendship and family", said Captain David Meron, the KU Navy ROTC commanding officer. This event culminated from a tremendous amount of work from the active duty and midshipmen staff."

Midshipman 1st Class Charles Richmond, a close friend of Herren, said a lot of time and effort went into the event to ensure the run to Alma went smoothly and graciously.

"My goal and responsibility is to ensure that Nick will always be remembered," Richmond said. "Memories of Nick powered many of the midshipmen through the challenging run."

"I cannot be prouder for their careful preparation and attention to detail in planning by our battalion midshipmen and our active duty staff that made this event possible," said Jayhawk Battalion Commanding Officer Midshipman 1st Class Anna Whitaker. "This event served to memorialize the competitive and patriotic spirit and relentless work ethic of an incredible Marine, our fallen brother, Nick Herren."

Navy ROTC is supported by the Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered on Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. Along with the Navy ROTC program, NSTC supports 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy, as well as the Navy's Citizenship Development Program.

NSTC includes Recruit Training Command (RTC), the Navy's only boot camp, at Naval Station Great Lakes; the Navy ROTC program; Officer Training Command (OTC) at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island; Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC); and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide.

For more information about Navy ROTC, visit http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/.

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/, or http://www.facebook.com/NavalServiceTraining/.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.