Jocelyn Benson Honors Fallen Soldier, Running in 11th Annual Remembrance 5K

This weekend, Secretary of State and Democratic nominee for Governor Jocelyn Benson traveled to Owosso to run in the 11th annual Campaign for Shane 5K — honoring the late Army Pfc. Shane Cantu who was deployed to Afghanistan alongside her husband in 2012. Jocelyn has run in the 5K to honor her late friend every year since its inception.

Jocelyn has previously discussed how her experience as a military spouse has shaped her dedication to service, and how, as governor, she’ll work with anyone to ensure veterans can afford to live and thrive in every corner of the state. While her husband served in Afghanistan, Jocelyn also founded the Military Spouses of Michigan to create community and foster support for fellow military spouses, and advocate for additional resources for our military families. 

In case you missed it…

The Argus-Press: Benson continues 11-year tradition of honoring fallen soldier

[Ashlee Buhler, 8/31/26]

Long before Jocelyn Benson became Michigan's secretary of state or a candidate for governor, she began making an annual trip to Owosso to remember a fallen soldier who served alongside her husband.

Army Pfc. Shane Cantu was 20 years old when he was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 28, 2012.

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On Sunday, Aug. 30, Benson, her husband Ryan Friedrichs, and their 10-year-old son Aiden, participated in the 11th annual Campaign for Shane 5K in honor of Cantu.

Friedrichs enlisted in January 2011 and served as a sergeant in the Airborne Brigade. He deployed to Afghanistan with Cantu in 2012.

“I still remember the call from Afghanistan when we learned about Shane and his loss,” Benson told The Argus-Press. “It still hurts to this day. I remember the last conversation I had with him as he left with my husband to go to Afghanistan … It's great to wake up early the last Sunday of every August and do this run in honor of Shane and all those we lost in Michigan and beyond in service to our country.”

Rain or shine, whether on the campaign trail or not, Benson has participated in the event for the past 11 years.

“This is my fourth statewide campaign and for three of them I would — in the middle of the campaign — still make time to do this run on the campaign trail, so it's important to me, it's important to our family,” she said. “My son is 10 now, but when he was a baby I pushed him in a stroller, I carried him on my back at one point, so this has been a family effort for the last decade.”

In 2012, Benson co-founded Military Spouses of Michigan to support military families during her husband's deployment to Afghanistan. The support network offered community, resources and services for military spouses and their children across Michigan.

Benson won the Democratic nod to run for governor in the August primary election. If chosen in the November midterm election, Benson said she plans to continue fighting for veterans. She is running against Republican Congressman John James.

“When it particularly comes to our 438,000 veterans living here in Michigan, we need to do more to ensure they have access to health care, to mental health support, to housing and other types of needs,” Benson said. “And also for our families who are facing deployments, which is still very real. It can be very lonely, it can be very isolating, that’s why I started the Military Spouses of Michigan to support those families.”

Benson said support for veterans and military families is necessary, and she thinks it will mean a lot to have her husband — who knows firsthand the sacrifices families make — as Michigan's next first gentleman.

“We’ll always go above and beyond to serve and support our veterans,” Benson said. “They’re our community too.”

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This year's 5K commemorates 14 years since Cantu's death. All proceeds from the event go toward helping local veterans, according to the event website.

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