- Former Recon Marine takes leave from guarding against Somali pirates to run the circumference of the United Kingdom for wounded warriors charity
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Former U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Charles "Chunks" Padilla is on day 28 of a 3,000-mile run around the circumference of the United Kingdom for charity. Chunks joins a team of UK war veterans in the "Tour de Forces" which was created by Paul Shearsby in order to raise money for the Royal Marines Association, The Royal British Legion, the Semper Fi Fund and the British Limbless Ex Service Men's Association (BLESMA).
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Padilla runs a marathon a day – some days it's as many as 30 miles at a time. He completed a similar 3,000-plus mile ran across America two years ago with one of his current Tour de Force teammates, Mark "Rammers" Amrod, a former British Royal Marine Commando who lost three limbs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 2007. "Mark is an inspiration to all of us," Padilla said, "he doesn't know the meaning of quit."
When Padilla isn't running a marathon a day for charity, he's a squadron commander for Skye Maritime, a maritime security company in California. Skye's CEO, Mike Slattery, feels honored to have a man like Padilla in his company. "Chunks is a true professional and wholly representative of the sort of security professional we employ at Skye. We are extremely proud to be able to sponsor him in this incredible journey and to support our wounded warriors."
Padilla joined the Tour de Force squad for the event's start just after completing a week long voyage in which he provided protection for a commercial shipping vessel sailing from Galle, Sri Lanka to Muscat, Oman. A fellow Skye employee, Kris Rossignol, pointed out the richness of Padilla's colorful life as he left Oman for the charity: "Here's a guy that serves three decades as a Recon Marine, fights in wars, leads Marines in the most miserable conditions imaginable, and when he retires takes a job protecting ships from Pirates only to take some time away to run 40 consecutive marathons for charity – he's an incredible man."
When asked yesterday about how he was doing out there by Skye's CEO he reported back with a brief text message characteristic of his quiet professionalism: "Everything going good. Still a marathon a day. The last two weeks I will crack on with 30 miles a day. Happy days. Chunks."
For an idea of what Charles Padilla does on a daily basis in his new profession, visit Skye Maritime Company Overview
About Skye Maritime:
Based in Southern California, Skye Maritime provides an array of maritime security services from armed protection to consultancy.
For more information, please visit http://www.skyemaritime.com
MEDIA CONTACT: Ben Smith / Bsmith@skyemaritime.com / +1(619) 448-1628
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