Running for Heroes Spotlight: Tim Lawton
Tim Lawton is a West Point graduate and Army veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan four times during his five and a half years of active duty service. After leaving active duty, Tim attended business school in his hometown of Boston, where he ran his first marathon, and has lived and worked in New York City since graduating in 2010.
The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon will be Tim’s sixth marathon, and his first time running for the Bob Woodruff Foundation. Running marathons has been a great way for him to continue to set personal goals and stay in shape since leaving the military. Tim has also been involved in a variety of veterans’ organization since he returned from active duty, and “[has] always wanted to run for a reason, to raise money for a cause that is near and dear to my heart.” So, when the opportunity arose to run for the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) alongside his girlfriend and fellow veteran, Amanda, Tim “jumped at the chance to do my little part to contribute to [BWF’s] continued impact on veterans’ care.”
“I think it’s important for other people to know about the work the Bob Woodruff Foundation is doing and the issues across the veteran community. There are so many people getting off active duty and coming back to civilian life, that it will be a continuously growing sector of the adult workforce.”
It means a lot, he says, for companies to be aware of what veterans sometimes bring home with them, including hidden wounds that “you don’t get to hang up with your uniform when you leave active duty.” But acknowledging those experiences shouldn’t affect people’s perceptions of what veterans can do upon returning to civilian life. “There are a lot of positive attributes that veterans can bring to the civilian world and workforce. With the huge investment we make in training these people, a lot of it on work skills that are applicable to the civilian world…it’s important for employers and employees of all types to realize that there’s a lot that a veteran hire can offer.”
Finally, Tim said, he believes that the idea of “standing together” is not just about civilians standing with veterans, but also about veterans standing with each other — sharing information and advice about the resources available today, and helping each other to reintegrate and adapt to life after serving.
