27-05-2025
‘He was truly selfless': Annual Memorial Day run in Hamburg honors fallen hero
HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) — Among Western New York's Memorial Day observances is an effort that honors fallen heroes through movement. The eighth annual Project 33 Memorial Run stepped off in Hamburg Monday morning in memory of Staff Sgt. Michael Simpson.
From the shore of Hamburg Beach to the taps of Hamburg Brewing Company, 6.8 miles represent a sense of duty to remember the warriors who came before.
'We really have a responsibility to be that touchpoint for people to give them a name and a face,' said Samantha Gomolka, Project 33 Memorial Foundation's co-founder and director of development. 'While everyone takes a moment of silence today, their loss continues tomorrow and forever — missed birthdays, missed holidays. It was a life, not just a name.'
With feet to pavement, more than 100 runners give their all in honor of those who gave everything. Project 33 was founded by Michael Gomolka and his wife, Samantha, to preserve the legacy of heroes within the Special Operations community who made the ultimate sacrifice.
'My husband has served for over 25 years in Special Operations,' Samantha Gomolka said. 'He wanted to run from his favorite place to a brewery close to our home and have a beer for his friends that he lost. Knowing the people of Hamburg, Buffalo and beyond, we knew that that idea was much bigger than just one man, and it has evolved into hundreds of us running together to honor our soldier.'
Staff Sgt. Michael Simpson was a Green Beret who was killed in action 12 years ago during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. With his wife and two sons at the finish line, this year's run is for him.
'Mike was the life of the party. He always wanted to make people laugh and he just brought joy to any space that he stepped into,' said Krista Simpson Anderson, Gold Star Spouse of Staff Sgt. Simpson. 'He wanted to help everyone. He'd give you the shirt off his back and he would invite people over for holidays that didn't have family in the area. He just wanted to give to others. He was truly selfless.'
'Every year up until this year, we've picked someone that my husband has served with personally,' Samantha Gomolka said. 'Krista Simpson Anderson has been a cherished friend of mine for over six years, and this year, we decided to not only honor the brotherhood of war but also the sisterhood that develops between the spouses, and this was the best way that we could honor her sacrifice and the loss of her husband, Michael.'
Organizers encouraged participants to run in boots and body armor as a tribute to the service members they honor.
'We think about and honor Mike every day, and to just come out and see other people doing the same thing is really, really beautiful,' Simpson Anderson said. '(Our kids) were one and three when my husband died. There were a lot of people at his funeral but they don't remember, so for them to come out here and experience a community that really comes together to support our military, and they chose to honor Mike, is overwhelmingly special.'
This year's proceeds will benefit the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation — a nonprofit dear to Krista, working to establish a permanent memorial in Washington, D.C., in memory of those like her late husband, Mike.
'This race honoring Mike will go towards that because we believe in the memorial wholeheartedly, and I know it will bring a lot of hope and healing to so many people that experienced this war,' Simpson Anderson said.
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Jordan Norkus is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning anchor who has been with the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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