THE LATEST NEWS
We would like to thank all of you who supported "Team Karp" for the 2011 Tri-State Tough Mudder event. It was cold, wet, muddy, painful and long; but we did it and did it in style. Several times throughout the day I swear I heard Karp yelling from somewhere ... "Suck it up!" All money raised will be donated to Karp's charities and even our registration fees for the event were partially donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Special thanks to Matt Costa who photographed the event for us. His copyrighted photos from the event can be seen here. We would also like to thank our wives for calling us crazy and then supporting us anyway!
Link to the official 2011 Tri-State Tough Mudder Video.
Before, during and after photos:
One of Paul's best friends and former Army buddy from his days in the 82nd Airborne, Terry Kline, will throw on his rucksack and hike the 232 miles of the Pennsylvania portion of the Appalachian Trail in Paul's memory. He will send us updates and pictures from the trail. We will post them on the website for you to enjoy and track his progress. If you would like to support Terry and his quest to raise money for Paul's charities, simply click here.
READ TERRY'S DISPATCHES FROM THE TRAIL
The first ever Freedom Walk was held this August in Freeland, PA (Paul's hometown.) Paul's sister Kristen organized the event and it was a great success! The Freedom Walk is a mile long walk through the streets of Freeland, PA, MSG Paul D. Karpowich's hometown. It is a symbol of our appreciation to those who made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom to gather as a group, walk, and enjoy the outdoors together. Highlights from the day included a thought provoking walk through the streets that Paul grew up on; the presentation of the American Legion's MSG Paul Karpowich scholarship and the dedication of the new pathway named after Paul that runs through the Freeland Public Park. The signs that mark the pathway (seen below) were created by Mikey Stower.
Lori Shields submitted this photograph of Paul's headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. Paul was laid to rest in section 60 (tomb 60-8510) of the cemetery along with other casualties from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
If you would like to visit Arlington National Cemetery, here is a link to it's website: Arlington.
To hear Paul tell this story was one of almost non-stop laughter. He found himself on the 4th Battalion 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment's boxing team at Ft. Bragg almost by accident. The story began the night before he was "selected" to join the team. That night, as many young Soldiers are known to do; Paul and some of his buddies went downtown to drink some beer. I'll leave the details up to your imagination, but in the end Paul held his own in a fight with a much larger man until that much larger man ended the fight with a pair of brass knuckles.
The next morning, Paul was sitting behind a duty desk bloodied and bruised when a First Sergeant from another company wandered by and inquired as to Paul's condition. After a brief discussion the First Sergeant told Paul that if he wanted to get into fist fights he would be doing it on the Battalion's boxing team from now on!
About Paul Karpowich
Born and raised in Freeland, PA; "Karp" was a top-rate Soldier, dedicated husband, avid outdoorsman, outstanding athelete, successful architect and all around amazing human being. Please take a moment to read about Paul's civilian life and then you can catch a glimpse of Paul's military career.
What does the Foundation Do?
The MSG Paul Karpowich Foundation was incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, on 7 June 2005. Our mission is to honor Paul's memory and hopefully continue to influence the world the way he did. Proceeds raised from all events, fundraisers and donations are given in Paul's name to several worthwhile causes he was involved in.
Where Your Donations Go
Proceeds collected by the MSG Paul Karpowich Foundation are donated in Paul's name to charitable organizations of his interest. Please click here to read more.
How to Donate
You can donate securely online using your credit card or PayPal account by clicking here. Or, you can mail a check made payble to the MSG Paul Karpowich Foundation to PO Box 125, Southeastern, PA 19399.
The Karp Memorial Footmarch
For the first 5 years of our existence, the Foundation held a fund raising event each fall named the MGS Paul Karpowich Memorial Footmarch, or simply the "KarpMFM." It was our yearly fund raising drive for Paul's charities. In 2010 the KarpMFM was discontinued. Click here to see the details and some pictures from the past marches.