Each year, Western Illinois University hosts the Fallen Soldiers 5K to raise money for the WIU Fallen Soldiers Scholarship Fund, which supports veterans and service members currently enrolled at WIU. Before the race, a special program is held to honor Fallen Soldiers for whom the scholarship was established and recognize the current scholarship recipients. This race typically brings in 400 – 500 participants to WIU’s campus that come together to support this wonderful cause.
The event is designed as a fundraiser for the Fallen Soldier’s Scholarship Fund in honor of two WIU alumni who were killed in the line of duty. Capt. Derek Dobogai and Lt. Col. Robert Baldwin (Delta Upsilon alumnus).
- Dobogai, who graduated from Western in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration, was among the 14 U.S. soldiers aboard a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed Aug. 22, 2007 in northern Iraq.
- Baldwin, who earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from WIU in 1993, was killed Sept. 21, 2010 when his Blackhawk UH-60 helicopter carrying Navy SEALs crashed during combat operations in the Zabul province of Afghanistan.
The Delta Upsilon chapter at Western Illinois participates in the 5K annually.
