Category Archives: Blog

He was born Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain – on September 8, 1828 – in a cottage near the family homestead in Brewer, Maine. Brewer was a farming and shipbuilding community. Chamberlain’s parents named him after the heroic Commodore James Lawrence who had immortalized the words: “Don’t give up the ship!” The eldest of five children, young […]

“There they come.” The Colonel squinted. The line of men came slowly up the road. One hundred and twenty men from the old Second Maine which had been disbanded. Unfortunately, these men had signed three-year agreements while the rest of the regiment had signed two-year agreements. When the old Second Maine had been disbanded, the […]

Epilogue   Since his Olympic success in 2008, Lopez Lomong has partnered with World Vision to offer care, support, and a better future to families in South Sudan recovering from a legacy of warfare. Through the 4 South Sudan project, The Lopez Lomong Foundation and World Vision are bringing hope to families who face the […]

Chapter 18 Graduation   The biggest moment of Lopez life did not take place in Beijing. His greatest moment came true nearly three years after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. To fully appreciate why December 16, 2011 was the greatest moment of his life, you must go back with him to Kimotong (Sudan) and Kakuma. His […]

Lopez thought he was nervous when he spoke to the Dream Team. He was really nervous when it came time to put on the strap for the flag and walk out into Beijing’s Olympic Stadium. The flag was huge, and the wind whipped down the tunnel where he waited for the signal to start walking. […]

Chapter 15 President Bush   “Where’s Lopez? I want to meet Lopez.” Lopez heard his name but could not believe the speaker was looking for him. For eight years he had dreamed of running for the United States in the Olympic Games, but this went beyond anything he could ever have imagined. The President of […]

Chapter 14 Olympic Trials – Part 2   The second injury of Lopez’ career came ten minutes before the biggest race of his life. Over the three previous days, Lopez overcame the disappointment of the jersey pull in the 800 meters final and had breezed through the preliminary 1500 meter rounds. His body felt strong. […]

Chapter 12 Professional Lopez went back to Flagstaff after returning from Africa to get ready for the fall semester and the upcoming cross-country season. But this season, something had changed. On long runs, Lopez’ mind raced back to Sudan. He saw the faces of the children as they played in the dirt. Here he was, […]

Chapter 10 NAU/NCAA The 2005 track season found Lopez at NAU. That season he ran the 800 almost exclusively. In the 2006 track season, he ran a little bit of everything – the 800, relays, an occasional 400, and the 4-by-400 relay. The goal of Coach Hayes was to find out which event suited Lopez […]

Part Three 2004 – 2008 Chapter 9 Norfolk State Lopez won the New York state cross-country final in his second year of high school in America. This enabled him to qualify for the national regional high school championship. He placed twelfth in the region. In 2004, his senior year, he did even better. After winning […]