Mountain Man Memorial March

We Carry Their Legacy

Nearly twenty years ago, a small group of friends set out on a 26.2-mile march through the mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They weren't marching for a medal, a trophy, or a finish time.

They were marching for Frank.

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Frank Walkup IV, a former University of Tennessee Army ROTC cadet, was killed in action in Iraq in 2007. To honor their friend and brother-in-arms, Frank's former classmates and his brother carried his photograph with them for every mile of that first march.

What began as a deeply personal tribute to one fallen soldier has grown into something extraordinary.

Today, the Mountain Man Memorial March brings more than 1,000 people to Gatlinburg each year to run, walk, and march in honor of America's fallen service members—and, just as importantly, to stand beside the Gold Star Families they left behind.

At the heart of the event is a simple promise:

Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. Their names will continue to be spoken. And their families will never stand alone.

In 2026, 43 Gold Star Families joined us in Gatlinburg. Throughout the course, participants carried photographs of fallen heroes—putting a face and a story behind the sacrifice and carrying their legacy all the way to the finish line.

The Mountain Man Memorial March is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated solely to honoring fallen service members and supporting Gold Star Families. Funds raised through the March, our annual October Golf Scramble, donations, and sponsorships go directly toward that mission. Today, we provide lodging for Gold Star Families attending the March. Our vision for tomorrow is even greater—including establishing scholarship endowments for the children of America's fallen heroes.

But we cannot do it alone.

You can march. You can run. You can walk. You can donate. You can sponsor.

Whatever role you choose, you become part of something much bigger than an event. You help us honor a hero, embrace a family, preserve a legacy, and remind the families of those who gave everything for our country that we remember.

Twenty years ago, a handful of people carried one photograph through the mountains of Tennessee.

Today, more than a thousand of us carry their legacy.

Join us. Carry a Hero. Support a Family. Never Forget.