Sgt. Conrad Alvarez, 22, the son of a Big Spring woman, and two other soldiers — Cpl. Albert Britton, Chicago, and Spec. Michael Matlock, Glen Burnie, Md. — were killed in Baghdad after their vehicle was hit by a bomb Feb. 19, 2008, according to reports from the Department of Defense.

The run — which is being organized by Alvarez's wife, Maria — will honor all three men, known as Strike Soldiers, when the run gets under way Saturday at 9 a.m.

“We'll all meet at the Old Settlers Pavilion in Comanche Trail Park,” said even coordinator Christine Everett, a friend of the Alvarez family. “There's no charge or sign-up fee, so we're hoping the community will come out and show their support for what these men did and the sacrifice they made.”

Everett said the idea for the run came from Maria Alvarez's personal experiences abroad.

“They held similar runs for these men and the men in their unit in other places, including Ft. Campbell,” said Everett. “We felt like this would be an excellent opportunity to get something similar going here in Big Spring.”

There will be one-mile and two-mile runs for those participating, according to Everett.

Alvarez — a member of A Co., 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment — was the second member of his family to be killed in Iraq. His brother-in-law, Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, was kidnapped and killed by extremists in 2006.

According to sources close to the famil at the time of the his death, Alvarez was born and raised in Roscoe, graduating from high school there — where he was active in sports — but spent several years in Big Spring before enlisting in the Army in 2005.

For more information, contact Everett at (432) 517-0281.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it