He couldn’t run, so he walked

Richard Nesbitt had surgery due to sarcoma in his leg, which ruled out his running in the DAV 5K. But, he could walk. So, he recruited some company to join him—fellow DAV member Wayne Pittsley—and someone who could run for him—his daughter Molly.

“Dad emailed me and asked me about it. He used to be a runner and told me, ‘I can’t run, but I know you do,’” said Molly. “I felt it was important to support my parents who are both veterans.”

Nesbitt enlisted in the Air Force at age 17 in 1973.

“I became a surgical tech. Then, I got stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix where I met my wife who was a staff nurse, and 1st Lieutenant, working in the ICU,” he said. “You’re not supposed to fraternize with officers, but I got permission to get married to her.” 

Eventually, Nesbitt worked to become a physician’s assistant and served as such until he retired from the Air Force in 1994. 

“When I got out of the service, I heard about DAV and applied to see if I had any disability related to my service. DAV represented me and I got a disability rating,” said Nesbitt. “At this time, I wasn’t diagnosed with cancer in my leg. That was found nine years later.”

But having the sarcoma didn’t slow Nesbitt down. He was dedicated to doing something to help other disabled American veterans.

“I wanted to participate in [the DAV 5K]. I couldn’t run, but I had been in other events with my daughter, Molly, where she ran and I walked,” said Nesbitt.

Nesbitt’s DAV 5K raised over $500 in donations. Each dollar donated to DAV delivers $179 in direct benefits for our disabled veterans and their families. That’s a value of over $89,000 worth of assistance!

Do you want to help our nation’s heroes receive the benefits they deserve? Register today to walk, roll, run or ride in the upcoming DAV 5K.