>>> THIS MORNING ON "TODAY’S TALKER," THE MARINE WHO
COMPLETED MONDAY’S BOSTON
MARATHON IN INSPIRING FASHION.
>> WHO COULD FORGET THESE
IMAGES.
IMAGES. MICAH HERNDON EXHAUSTED AND IN
OBVIOUS PAIN BUT DETERMINED TO
HONOR THE LEGACIES OF HIS FALLEN
COMRADES, AND I CRAWLED ACROSS
THE FINISH LINE AND HE MADE IT.
WE ARE SO HONORED TO HAVE HIM
WITH US THIS MORNING.
MICAH, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I KNOW THAT WAS VERY, VERY
PAIN.
PAIN. .
. I THINK THE FIRST QUESTION HAS
TO BE HOW DO YOU FEEL?
HOW DO YOUR LEGS FEEL THIS
MORNING?
MORNING? >>> I FEEL LIKE A BABY DEER
WALKING RIGHT NOW.
I CAN’T REALLY MOVE TOO FAST.
AND ANY LITTLE STEP I TAKE, YOU
KNOW, I AM TRYING TO STEADY
MYSELF.
MYSELF. >> YOU WERE ON A PACE, MICAH.
WE WERE TALKING, YOU WERE GOING
FAST.
FAST. >> YEAH, YEAH.
>> TELL US WHAT HAPPENED ABOUT
FOUR MILES FROM THE FINISH LINE.
WHAT DID YOU START TO FEEL?
>> AROUND MILE 20, THAT’S WHEN
MY RIGHT LEG START TODAY LOCK
UP.
UP. AND THEN I PUSHED THROUGH THAT.
MILE 22, THAT’S WHEN BOTH LEGS
STARTED LOCKING UP.
THAT LAST 4.2 MILES THAT I RAN,
THAT WAS THE HARDEST, LONGEST
4.2 MILES I HAVE RAN IN MY LIFE.
>> MICAH, THAT IS THE POINT THAT
MANY, MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
STOPPED OR GOTTEN HELP.
BUT YOU DID NOT DO THAT BECAUSE
YOU HAD A VERY IMPORTANT
PURPOSE.
PURPOSE. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHY YOU
RAN?
RAN? >> IT’S NOT JUST RUNNING, YOU
KNOW, RACES AND WHATNOT.
IT’S EVERYDAY LIFE FOR ME.
I TRAIN, I RUN EVERY DAY.
PEOPLE BACK HOME KNOW.
IT’S THERAPY FOR ME, IS WHAT I
GO TO.
GO TO. IT’S MY GETAWAY.
IT HELPS ME COPE WITH, YOU KNOW,
ME BEING DEPLOYED OVER IN IRAQ
AND AFGHANISTAN.
AND AFGHANISTAN. IT’S MY RELEASE.
I JUST GET UP AND GO.
IT’S HOW I GET AWAY FROM
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. I DO HAVE PTSD AND SURVIVOR’S
GUILT.
GUILT. THOSE ARE MY BATTLE WOUNDS AND
THOSE ARE MY SCARS.
I AM NOT AFRAID TO SAY THAT.
AND I KNOW COUNTLESS VETERANS
ALL OVER THE WORLD, THEY HAVE
THOSE ISSUES, TOO.
I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THAT, YOU
KNOW.
KNOW. I’M NOT.
I’M NOT. >> YOU HAVE THREE NAMES ON YOUR
SHOES, IF WE CAN GET A SHOT.
AND ALSO ON YOUR BIB.
BALLARD, JUAREZ, AND HAMER.
ALL YOU HAD TO DO IS LOOK AT
YOUR SHOES I IMAGINE FOR
INSPIRATION ON MONDAY?
>> YES.
>> YES. EVEN WRITING ON THE BACK OF MY
HANDS, THEIR LAST NAMES, AND MY
BIB, MY SHOES.
MY WIFE GOT ME THOSE TAGS JUST
TO BE ABLE TO LACK DOWNOOK DOWN
THAT’S THE ONLY REASON WHY I
RUN.
RUN. IT’S TO CLEAR MY MIND OF
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. JUST TO DEAL WITH EVERYTHING
BACK HOME, DAILY LIFE, BEING
BACK IN THE CIVILIAN WORLD.
I GOT OUT OF THE MARINE CORPS
ACTIVE DUTY IN 2011.
YOU KNOW, COMING BACK HOME, IT’S
A HARD TRANSITION FOR ALL
VETERANS.
VETERANS. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU’VE GOT TO FIND
A RELEASE.
A RELEASE. MY RELEASE WAS RUNNING.
SO I JUST HOPE THAT OTHER
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, CIVILIANS AND
VETS, CAN FIND THEIR RELEASE AND
FIGURE IT OUT.
>> WHAT YOU HAVE DONE HAS HAD
SUCH AN IMPACT.
YOU AND I WERE TALKING.
YOU WERE SO SURPRISED AT THE
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. NOW THE THING THISYOU WANTED TO
WHICH IS TO BRING ATTENTION TO
YOUR FALLEN VENDSFRIENDS AND THE
HAS BEEN AMPLIFIED BEYOND YOUR
IMAGINATION?
IMAGINATION? >> YEAH, YEAH.
TO HONOR THEIR LEGACIES,
BALLARD, JUAREZ AND HAMER.
THEIR FAMILIES, AS WELL.
THAT’S A BIG THING THAT GOES
UNFORGOTTEN.
UNFORGOTTEN. WHEN WE ARE OVER THERE ALL THE
ATTENTION IS ON US.
BUT IT’S THE FAMILIES THAT TAKE
TOLLS, TOO, YOU KNOW.
I SAW FIRSTHAND WHEN BALLARD
PASSED AWAY.
PASSED AWAY. HIS FAMILY, HOW BAD IT WAS AND
HOW HURTFUL IT WAS AND HOW
DEVASTATING IT WAS TO THAT
AND ALL
AND ALL OF THE OTHER ISSUES THAT COME
FROM WAR.
FROM WAR. NOT TO BE ASHAMED TV IF YOU’REOF
ARE A VETERAN.
I’M NOT.
I’M NOT. THOSE ARE MY BATTLE SCARS.
I AM NOT AFRAID OF THAT.
I’M NOT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WILL,
THEY HIDE A LOT OF STUFF AND
THEY SAY, NO, NO, I’M GOOD, I’M
GOOD.
GOOD. THAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU ANY WEAKER
ADMITTING, YOU KNOW.
I’M ACTUALLY PROUD OF MY PTSD.
I’M PROUD, BECAUSE THAT’S WHO I
AM, YOU KNOW.
AND THAT’S WHAT FUELS ME IN MY
WORKOUTS, IS LOOKING BACK AT
THAT AND REALIZING.
AND ALSO IT BENEFITS ME, TOO,
BECAUSE WHEN I THINK TIMES ARE
GETTING TOUGHER, I THINK IT’S
TOO HOT, IT AIN’T HOT, YOU KNOW?
IN KUWAIT IT’S 140 DEGREES.
THAT’S NOTHING.
THAT’S NOTHING. >> THE WORLD HAS HEARD YOUR
MESSAGE, INSPIRED BY WHAT YOU
DID ON MONDAY.
WE UNDERSTAND YOU WANT TO MOVE
ON AND RUN THE NEW YORK CITY
MARATHON.
MARATHON. WE CERTAINLY HOPE THAT HAPPENS
FOR YOU, TOO.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
AND, YOU KNOW, I’M JUST GOING TO
LEARN WHAT I LEARNED FROM
BOSTON.
BOSTON. I’M NEW TO THIS RUNNING GAME.
I’M STILL A ROOKIE.
>> MICAH, WHEN YOU SEE THE IMAGE
OF YOU CRAWLING ACROSS THE
FINISH LINE, DO YOU SEE WHAT WE
ALL SEE?
ALL SEE? >> NO.
>> NO. NOT AT ALL.
THE COMPETITOR IN ME, I’M STILL
VERY VERY UPSET WITH MY GOAL
TIME.
TIME. BUT ONCE I REALIZED I WASN’T,
THAT WASN’T ATTAINABLE, I HAD
ONE GOAL IN MIND.
THAT WAS TO FINISH ON MY OWN.
WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
SO IT WAS AROUND 75 TO 100 YARDS
FROM THE FINISH LINE, BECAUSE I
SAW THE TICKERS.
I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE FINISH
LINE.
LINE. IT WAS MY FIRST TIME RUNNING
BOSTON, SO I WASN’T REALLY
FAMILIAR WITH THE COURSE.
BUT MY LEGS REALLY STOPPED
MOVING FORWARD.
MOVING FORWARD. SO THE NEXT OPTION IS TO CRAWL.
BECAUSE AS MARINES, RIGHT FROM
THE GET-GO, IT’S INSTILLED,
ADAPT AND OVERCOME.
AND WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER
ADVERSITY, WHATEVER TROUBLE YOU
ARE DOING, ADAPT AND OVERCOME.
SO I WAS CRAWLING.
RIGHT HAMSTRING LOCKED UP.
NEXT OPTION, LOW CRAWL.
I LOW CRAWL UNTIL THE RIGHT
HAMSTRING LOOSENED UP A LITTLE
BIT.
BIT. SO I WAS ABLE TO CRAWL THE REST
OF THE WAY.
>> MICAH, THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS
THE NAMES THAT YOU WANT THEM TO
KNOW AND THEY SAW YOU.
NOT YOUR LEGS.
THEY SAW YOUR HEART.
THEY SAW YOUR HEART.
>> THAT’S GOOD.
AND THAT’S REALLY WHAT I WANT TO
COME OUT OF THIS WHEN I HEAR,
YOU KNOW, ALL OF THIS STUFF.
THERE IS PLENTY OTHER VETERANS
OUT THERE, COUNTLESS OTHER
VETERANS THAT DESERVE THIS MORE
THAN I DO.
>> IT’S AN HONOR TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE GIVEN