Team RWB builds community one mile at a time

Michael “Sully” Sullivan has spent much of his summer logging miles on Hilton Head Island, sometimes heading out before most of his neighbors are awake.

Some training days begin at 3 a.m. During one recent week, he covered more than 120 miles. Hilton Head is not exactly known for elevation, so preparing for hills requires a little creativity.

“The only hill on the island is the bridge,” Sullivan joked.

Beginning Sept. 12, Sullivan will join Lisa Hallett, a Gold Star spouse, and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Lee Yoneyama as they attempt to cover the entire 250 miles of One Flag Forward from New York City to Washington, D.C., over five days carrying an American flag for the full journey.

“We will take turns carrying the flag and we will have seven “day runners” who have been selected to help carry the flag,” said Sullivan. “Some will complete the total mileage for their day while others will rotate on and off, maybe run 5 miles then take a break for 10 then jump back in for 5, supporting throughout the day.”

For Sullivan, however, the challenge is about more than how far he can run. It’s about his military service, his work with veterans and something he talks about often: the importance of simply showing up for other people.

“The camaraderie and the community are the key,” Sullivan said.

He is working to build some of that community in the Lowcountry.

Sullivan is executive director of Team Red, White & Blue, or Team RWB, a national organization that brings veterans, service members, military families and civilian supporters together through physical and social activities. On July 4, he launched a chapter serving Hilton Head Island and Bluffton.

His involvement with Team RWB began years before he became its executive director. Sullivan helped found the Fayetteville, North Carolina, chapter in 2011 before taking over as executive director in 2025.

He retired as a colonel after 30 years in the Army, including 23 years in Special Forces. He and his wife later made Hilton Head their permanent home.

The nearest Team RWB chapter was in Savannah, but the organization’s records showed more than 120 registered members already living in the Hilton Head-Bluffton area.

Team RWB members participate in the Hilton Head Running Club’s regular Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday activities, and some have joined Sullivan as he puts in the miles for One Flag Forward.

But Sullivan does not want the chapter to be just for runners. He hopes to add cycling, hiking, rucking, yoga and other activities on Hilton Head and in Bluffton. Sometimes, he said, getting together might mean coffee or pizza.

There is no cost to join, and membership is not limited to veterans.

Sullivan said the goal is to build relationships before someone finds themselves needing help.

“We’re here to empower our members to help them take care of each other,” he said.

“You’re going to get to have some really good friends that are going to want to know that things are going well for you,” Sullivan said. “And if they’re not, can they help out?”

That idea of showing up for one another is also woven into One Flag Forward.

The event, led by Team RWB and wear blue: Run to Remember, will mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and 250 years of U.S. military service.

The first day will cover about 50 miles, followed by three days of approximately 55 miles each and a final 35-mile leg into Washington, Sullivan said.

During the run, Sullivan plans to alternate running and walking, averaging about a 15-minute-per-mile pace when stops are included. A 55-mile day could keep the runners on the route for roughly 12½ to 13 hours before they eat, recover, sleep and start again the next morning.

For Sullivan, the journey also reaches back to Sept. 11, 2001.

When the attacks occurred, he had recently completed training to become a Green Beret and was at Fort Bragg. Sullivan remembers sitting in his car listening to early reports on AM radio.

“I knew my life was going to completely change because there would be a response,” he said.

Sullivan would go on to serve six combat tours in Afghanistan.

During the 250-mile journey, he plans to wear the names of Mike Cathcart and Matt Ammerman, two soldiers who served under his command in Afghanistan and were killed in the line of duty.

“I’ll carry those two specific guys with me the entire 250 miles,” Sullivan said.
When Sullivan heads north for One Flag Forward, the local Team RWB chapter will keep moving. Team RWB and the Hilton Head Running Club are planning a local run Sept. 12 to coincide with the start of the 250-mile journey.

After he returns, Sullivan wants to continue building the chapter, adding activities beyond running and expanding its presence in Bluffton.

You can join Team RWB at teamrwb.org. Information about One Flag Forward, including the route and ways to participate, is available at oneflagforward.org.
Sullivan said the larger goal is not necessarily to create athletes, but to give people reasons to show up for one another.

“If you’re just showing up for somebody else just to go for a walk or go for a jog or do some yoga,” he said, “the power of that is truly a service.