ITEM PHOTO BY MARK SUTHERLAND
Aldric Baibay in the middle of a workout at CrossFit The Swamp in Swampscott, which will host the “Jen & Jared Hero Tribute” Saturday. The event will honor Swampscott natives Jennifer Harris and Jared Raymond, who lost their lives serving in Iraq nearly a decade ago.
BY DILLON DURST
SWAMPSCOTT — It’s been nearly a decade since Jennifer Harris and Jared Raymond were killed in Iraq, but their memory lives on.
Harris, a U.S. Marine Corps captain, died when her helicopter was struck by an anti-aircraft missile en route to collect supplies in 2007. Raymond, an Army specialist, perished when his tank hit an explosive device in 2006.
The “Jen & Jared Hero Tribute” will honor them with a fitness fundraiser Saturday at CrossFit The Swamp, a strength and conditioning facility on Essex Street.
Mike Dudevoir, co-owner and the fundraiser’s host, said he organized the event as a way for the community to honor the pair.
After contacting their parents, Dudevoir, a 1994 Swampscott High graduate, planned to host two CrossFit workouts dedicated to his fallen classmates.
“It’s probably the best weekend of the year on the North Shore,” he said of Fourth of July weekend. “We’re doing this to keep their memory alive.”
The “Jen” will commence at 10 a.m. Participants will run or walk two miles to Harris’ parents’ house on Elwin Street, then perform 28 pushups, Harris’ age when she was killed.
At 11 a.m., CrossFitters will begin the “Jared,” a 15-minute workout to be performed at the gym.
Dudevoir said 15 represents Raymond’s Little League baseball number.
The exercise will consist of three tough maneuvers featuring the numbers two, 24 and 30. Two and 24 signify Raymond’s Feb. 24 birthday, while 30 represents how old he would’ve been this year.
After graduating from Swampscott High in 1996, Harris attended the U.S. Naval Academy. She joined the Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot. During her three tours in Iraq, Harris’ job was to airlift casualties and wounded troops from the battlefield.
Raymond pledged to join the military after the 9/11 attacks. He kept his word, and enlisted in the Army in 2004, after graduating high school. He trained with the Armored Division before being stationed in Iraq.
The fundraiser will have food after the workouts and music by the Melody Makers. All proceeds will benefit the Captain Jennifer Jean Harris Memorial Trust Fund and the Specialist Jared J. Raymond Memorial Scholarship.
Dillon Durst can be reached at [email protected].
