News : Flaughless 5K raises $15,000 for Wounded Warrior Project

Balloons honoring Dan Flaugh rise above Virginia Gay Hospital Saturday before the Flaughless 5K.

Georgia Meeker Sysouchanh thanks the crowd for honoring Dan Flaugh.

Friends Brad O'Neil and Aaron Schut finish the Flaughless 5K first, together.

Charlie Cronk, a former cross country teammate of Dan Flaugh, finishes the Flaughless 5K.

The Class of 1971 gathers with Kathy Flaugh, Dan's mom before the Flaughless 5K begins.

Dog tags honor Dan Flaugh and other veterans.

Flaughless 5K participants begin the race, running near Riverside Park.

A line of walkers approaches the finish line.

Jamie Timmerman offers Lisa Clark a high five as she finishes the course.

Tyler Richardson and son Tyler enjoyed the large fire truck.

The Class of 1971: Members tell a TV camera how they rally around Kathy Flaugh.

The Class of 1971 members wore identical signs on their backs.

Georgia Sysouchanh designed this logo for the Flaughless 5K.

Tyler Richardson, a Marine, ran his first 5K; his wife & sons Gunner & Titus came to celebrate.

This soldier completed the 5K walk while wearing his full military uniform.

Jim Germaine crosses the finish line with his dogs Gable and Jax.

Kyle Brewer, right, a Vinton native and veteran, was among top 3 in his age group.

Lily Horst was the overall female winner.

Ashley Hesson and Malea Lee celebrate as they approach the Flaughless finish line.

Balloons honoring Dan Flaugh and other soldiers rise before the race begins.

Bonnie Beyer and Mia cross the finish line; it was Mia's first 5K.

Georgia and Lisa and the Flaugh family prepare to release their balloons.

Tied for first: Pals Brad O'Neil and Aaron Schut cross the Flaughless finish line first, together.

The men's winners pose for a photo with the trophy they will share.

A year after the inaugural event raised $10,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, the second annual Flaughless 5K Walk/Run raised $15,000.

Nearly 700 participants showed up at Riveside Park and the Virginia Gay Hospital parking lot for the event which honors Daniel Flaugh, who died in 2011.

The Flaughless 5K web site shares this information about Dan:

Dan Flaugh was a SPC E4, Calvary Scout in the United States Army and served his country on the front line as a Re-Con Scout of Bush's Surge on Baghdad, Iraq. Dan was honorably discharged from the Army in 2008. In December 2011, after struggling with PTSD and depression, Dan took his own life.

The Flaughless 5K was started by Dan's friends and family in 2012 as a memorial to Dan and a tribute to all soldiers struggling with the mental and physical damages of war. The proceeds from the Flaughless 5K benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

VSHS Classmates Lisa Horak and Georgia Meeker Sysouchanh organized the event, with the assistance of Flaugh's family, including parents Jim and Kathy.

Kathy, a member of the Washington High School (Vinton) Class of 1971, welcomed dozens of classmates.

"It was overwhelming," said Kathy. "It's a bittersweet day. Dan was a great man."

The members of the Class of 1971, including some who traveled from Connecticut or Washington, D.C., gathered in Vinton this weekend for three events: Homecoming, a group "60th Birthday Party (since most turn that age this year), and the Flaughless 5K.

Lily Horst, the Vinton-Shellsburg sophomore who has been winning cross country meets lately, was the top female finisher. The top male trophy went to friends Brad O'Neil and Aaron Schut of Cedar Falls, who ran the race stride for stride and finished tied for first, as they hoped to do. The two run races throughout eastern Iowa.

The Flaughless Web Site will soon list the complete results.