2015 Fort Campbell Military Survivor Appreciation Week guide

Disclaimers: Survivor Outreach Guide is produced by the Fort Campbell MWR Marketing Department under the authority of AR 215-1. Facilities and activities publicized are open to authorized patrons.The mention or appearance of commercial advertisers, commercial sponsors and/or their logos does not constitute endorsement by the Federal Government. The information in this issue is current at the time of publication; activities and events are subject to change.

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Remembering all of the fallen; SOS prepares for second boots on the ground display; Names sought for survivor week boot display

By Heather Huber, Fort Campbell Courier

Last October, thousands of boots lined the lawn in front of the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters. This year, Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) is hoping to add more.

“The boot display that we do here at Fort Campbell is part of our Military Survivor Appreciation Week, this is the second year that we’re going to have the boots out on display and there are

over 7,000 boots,” said Suzy Yates, Army Community Service Survivor Outreach Services Program Manager.

Each boot represents a service member who has died on active duty since September 11, 2001, according to the database at www.militarytimes.com/valor.

“The majority of the deaths that are listed on that website are overseas losses,” Yates said. “We don’t have a lot of the stateside losses because there isn’t a website that captures that.

So what we’re asking for is any Families, or units, if they go to a website and see that a service member is not listed, that they submit a photo with their rank and name, date of death and location of death so that we can get a tag made for this year’s boots.”

Yates said SOS will be accepting names until the end of September in order to have time to make all the tags for the boots.

“There’s pretty specific criteria, though, because right now from 9-11 forward there’s already over 7,000,” she said. “So it is any death from Sept. 11, 2001, to present. They must have died on active duty. It’s any branch of

service – so they can be Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force or Coast Guard – and it’s any location of loss. So anyone who wants to submit a boot can do so, but it has to fit those criteria in order to be included in the display.”

The boots will be on display Oct. 15 through Oct. 18. There will be information tables staffed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day for anyone who wants to learn more about the boots or to assist someone in finding their loved one.

There also will be a table with paper, crayons, rings and a laminator so that anyone who wants to make a memento to leave on a boot can do so. Yates said they encourage laminating paper, including letters, so that the weather doesn’t destroy the attachment.

Yates said Fort Campbell is one of only four installations that participate in the field of boots, and are arranged to be reminiscent of Arlington National Cemetery. They are also lined up according to the date of death and color coded by year.

“When you go into the boot display it starts on 9-11, 2001, and the boots follow in chronological order,” she said. “So if someone is looking for a loved one or someone in particular, it’s a lot easier to find them.”

Yates added that although SOS has plenty of boots at the moment, donations will not be turned away.

“With opening it up a lot more to the Families, we anticipate to add boots to the display, so if anyone has boots, they can be new, used, as long as they are a military boot,” Yates said.

Last year, the boots started at the paved area in front of the headquarters building and went all the way to the cannon.

Stephanie Dostie, whose husband Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Christopher Dostie was killed in action Dec. 30, 2005, took the boot selected for her husband and had it airbrushed infantry blue.

“I also had a message put on the side of the boot. I had his name and everything put on it,” Dostie said. “We decorated it with some of his medals and my children wrote along the bottom of the boot, messages to their dad.”

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Dostie said it’s important to her to memorialize not only her husband but all the Soldiers lost at Fort Campbell and across the military during the last 14 years.

“The only thing harder than losing your Soldier is feeling they’re forgotten, so anything that has to do with not only memorializing my husband, but others as well, is a huge part of my life,” Dostie said.

“It’s how I cope with losing my husband.”

She said the boot display was particularly important not only to memorialize those who have died, but to remind the communities that there are still troops fighting.

“Seeing it in person creates a realism about the war and what we’ve lost and what we continue to fight for,” Dostie said. “Seeing all of that on the field is kind of overwhelming.”

She said even if a Family isn’t at Fort Campbell to visit the field personally, she thinks knowing that someone took the time to remember their Soldier and to set up a boot in his or her honor can help surviving Family members feel less alone.

“I think it’s important to know the story behind that boot. I think that it can help keep that Soldier’s memory alive,” Dostie said. “It can be nice to go out there and see the mementos that people have left. You can tell some of the stories of that Soldier.”

Yates said that Family members were given the option to take home any mementos left with their Soldier’s boot. If they didn’t want to take them, all non-perishable mementos left with the boots were marked and stored so they can be set out again this year.

“My husband is buried in Arlington, and although we have some memorials here at Fort Campbell for him, it’s nice to go during the Gold Star week to the division headquarters and be able to spot his boot and to walk about there and sit down with it,” Dostie said. “It’s not him and it’s not his gravesite, but here it’s the memorialization of him. Every little thing we have of him is very special to us.”

Sandy Graham, whose son Spc. Kevin James Graham was killed in action on Sept. 26, 2009, said she tries to do something to commemorate her son death every year, so last year’s boot display was timed perfectly for her to serve in memory of the anniversary of his death.

“I looked at that day as, ‘What can I do to honor him and perhaps to bring comfort to other Families?’” she said. “I just thought it was something that would honor our fallen but be an encouragement to the Families that have lost loved ones – and it doesn’t matter in what capacity they were serving our nation.

That there’s a nation out there that honors their service.”

Graham said it’s her way of hugging each survivor and telling them how much she cares about their loss. She said working on the project was also a blessing for her because she got to work with other Gold Star wives and mothers and children, and learn the stories of their loved ones as well as share Kevin’s story with them.

“It was a time that we could share what was in our hearts,” Graham said.

Graham said she watched other Family members decorate their Soldiers’ boots, but at first she didn’t want to mark up Kevin’s.

She placed a model Pontiac LeMans, similar to the first car Kevin had ever owned, on top of the boot and a small memorial photo book for others to get a better feel of who her son was.

“Right at the end – like the day before – I was down there with my brother and he said, ‘Sandy, you really need to leave something on there,’ so I did write a little bit of something on it,” Graham said.

Although she’s happy to have taken a part in the project, Graham acknowledged that turning in the name of a loved one is a very personal decision that a survivor has to make on their own.

“I would encourage them because once they make that decision to do it – it’s like you’re allowing other people to help grieve with

you,” Graham said. “It gives them the opportunity to maybe leave a little note. If you’re there, to put their arms around you and say, ‘We love you.

We’re here for you. We’re in this together. You’re not alone.’”

Graham said she became close with several other Gold Star Family members, including Dostie. It also gave her the opportunity to meet several of her son’s battle buddies and shared stories about him.

“I understand that it’s a hard decision, because it’s something that – there’s so many things that tell you it’s final. The boot is saying, ‘Yes, he’s dead.’” Graham said. “There’s so many things that bring that back, so I understand when someone will say, ‘I really can’t do that.’ But on the other hand, it gives others the opportunity to share that grief with you.”

Yate emphasized that Family members could turn in the names of any service member who has died while on active duty since Sept.11, 2001, whether they were killed in combat or died in some other way.

“There’s a lot of misconception from last year about who was allowed to be out there,” Yates said. “It’s regardless of manner of death.”

Yates said anyone who wants to submit the name of a fallen service member should call Leslie Herlick at 270-412-8909 or email: leslie.a.herlick.civ@mail.mil. Names will be collected through the end of September to allow the ACS SOS office time to get all the boots ready for the display in October.

Gold Star Installation Access Card Provides ease of access to Active Duty Army installations

By Pete Miraldi

Tired of stopping at the Visitor’s Center to get a pass to enter our Army installations? Wait no more! Surviving Family Members who do not already possess a military Identification (ID) Card and would like access to any active Army installation, including Fort Campbell, can request a Gold Star Installation Access Card.

Eligible applicants are those who meet the criteria to receive the Gold Star or Next of Kin lapel buttons. Family members eligible to receive the Gold Star lapel button are the widow/widower (even those

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who have remarried), each child, step-child, child through adoption as well as the deceased service member’s parents, brother, half-brother, sister, and half-sister. The term “parent” includes mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parents who stood in loco parentis.

The process has been streamlined at Fort Campbell to keep things simple. To request an application, please contact Suzy Yates at 270-798-0272 or via email at: suzy.a.yates.civ@mail.mil.

Return the completed application and allow up to 48 hours for a background check to be conducted. All information on the application form is used by Directorate of Emergency Services (DES) to screen applicant’s eligibility and will not be shared with others. Once your application is approved, you will be contacted to arrange an appointment at the ID card office at Fort Campbell.

Applicant must be present for the card to be issued as a photo and signature are needed.

Cards will be issued during Military Survivor Appreciation Week. If interested, plan ahead by filling out and returning your completed application prior to your arrival. Background checks can be ran up to 30 days prior to the card being issued. Once approved, it won’t take long for your card to be issued and appointments will be scheduled throughout the week for your convenience.

Your Installation Access Card is valid for three years from the date of issue. Upon expiration, you may reapply for the Installation Access Card by completing a new application and background check. Currently, only active duty Army SOS Coordinators have the ability to issue these cards and they can’t be mailed or issued at any National Guard DEERS locations. Contact Fort Campbell SOS for any additional questions and/or assistance.

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Serving Our Families of the Fallen

By Suzy Yates

The knock at the door changes lives forever, followed by a whirlwind of support and emotion. From a grateful nation to local neighbors helping others, Families of the Fallen are surrounded by support following the loss of a loved one. Many times the support following a loss of a Service Member can be overwhelming.

Through the funeral, these people rally around Survivors, supporting them, checking in with them, helping out where they can. When the funeral is over, it seems everyone goes back to their normal everyday lives. For our Families of the Fallen, what was normal is no longer.

Survivors are left to navigate the maze of emotion and benefits, finding their way without their loved one.

Up until 2009, there was no Army program to assist Survivors in navigating their life after their loved one died. It was in that year the Army made a commitment to support our

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Families of the Fallen long term. The SOS Program serves as the advocate for the Survivor and provides long-term support and services closest to where Survivors reside, when and for as long as they desire.

Across the Army, Survivor Outreach Services professionals are assigned specific areas of coverage that are arranged in such a way as to place professional Support Coordinators and Financial Counselors closest to where Survivors reside. Staff members across all 50 states and four territories, Japan, Korea and Europe provide subject matter expertise, outreach, recognition events, support groups, milestone management, on-going case management and referral services in a very purposeful and heartfelt manner.

Financial counselors at all active Army installations stand ready to assist Survivors with any and all of their financial concerns as well as provide assistance in applying for emergency financial needs.

When providing assistance there are some general eligibility guidelines the SOS program follows. SOS provides support to surviving uniformed Soldiers, Family members of Soldiers who died on active duty, ARNG M-Day Soldiers, USAR Troop Program Unit members or those designated as Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA).

Survivors are not only primary and secondary next-of-kin but may include other Family members and even unrelated loved ones such as fiancés and battle buddies. If you are unsure if you qualify for assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local SOS Support Coordinator for assistance.

If you would like more information on how to connect with your local SOS Support Coordinator there are several methods in which to do so.

1. Contact Fort Campbell SOS at (270) 412-8909 2. Call the IMCOM SOS Toll-free number at 1-855-707-2769 3. Visit the SOS official website at www.sos.army.mil/SOSLocations.aspx 4. Visit the SOS Facebook Page: Survivor Outreach Services

What can my local SOS do for me?

Provide state and local resources Apply for replacement Gold Star and Next of Kin lapel pins Offer monthly events to keep you connected with the Army Family Answer benefit questions Education benefit counseling Assist in providing mental health resources Obtain your loved one’s medical and personnel records Assist in updating your will Tax preparation assistance Credit counseling

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Go Commando Fun Run, 5K, 10K or Half Marathon

By Suzy Yates

In 2010, an event that started as a small candlelight vigil in front of Division Headquarters has grown to a weeklong celebration of our Fallen Service Members. The event went from inviting just the Families in our area of responsibility to inviting all Families whose loved ones were stationed at Fort Campbell at the time of their death, regardless of where they reside. Fort Campbell Army Community Service (ACS) Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) has continued to grow this event year after year and incorporate new and exciting events. This year is no exception! We welcome all Surviving Families to our events, no matter the location, circumstances, branch of service or date of loss.

And the drum roll please…..ACS SOS is excited to announce this year’s Military Survivor Appreciation Week events. Families can feel free to choose which events they would like to participate.

Survivors don’t have to attend all the events in order to participate and RSVPs are appreciated.

Surviving Family Social and Star Decoration Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 6 p.m.

ACS SOS Building (5001 Screaming Eagle Drive)

With Families coming from all across the country, we thought getting everyone together for a social would provide an opportunity to get to know each other. The new location for ACS SOS offers the perfect backdrop for Families to mingle inside and enjoy the rich history of the house or adventure outside to enjoy the nature that surrounds the building.

As part of the social, Family members will be given two gold stars. One star will be used to for this year’s Division Run for the Fallen and the other will be a star on the Walk of Fame for our Surviving Family dance. You don’t need to be an artist to participate! ACS SOS will provide the stars, stickers,

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markers, glue and supplies. We encourage those participating to bring photos and anything that reminds you of your Fallen Hero that can be added to their star. While decorating, feel free to share stories of your Fallen Hero with those around you.

Child Youth and School Services will also be on site to provide kid friendly crafts for the little ones. Light refreshments will be provided for all attendees.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 Half Marathon & 10K start at 7:30 a.m.

5k starts at 8:00am Liberty Fun Run starts at 10:00am Wilma Rudolph Event Center at Liberty Park; Clarksville, TN Register at: www.gocommandoclarksville.com with code FALLEN

This year ACS SOS has partnered with the organizers of the Go Commando Run in Clarksville. If you like to run and are interested in participating in any of the distance events, the registration fee has been waived for all Families of the Fallen. Just enter the code: FALLEN on their registration page to claim. Please note this code is only meant for Families of the Fallen and it is case sensitive. Also, the awards ceremony will provide special recognition of the Surviving Families in attendance.

Division Run for the Fallen Friday, October 16, 2015 at 6 a.m.

Town Center Park (across from Division Headquarters)

The Division Run for the Fallen is one of the biggest events of Military Survivor Appreciation Week. This commemorative walk/run will take place at Division Headquarters.

Surviving Families have an option to run with a 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) unit or join at the start with the Division Headquarters.

Runners and walkers will be received at 6 a.m. Runners will depart at 6:30 a.m.

Participants are urged to run/walk in memory of Fallen Service Members and will not run the entire Division Run route of 5 miles. There will be a shorter route so Survivors participating can return to Division Headquarters to watch the units finish the run. Please do not bring pets. Feel free to wear t-shirts, sweatshirts and apparel in honor of your loved one. Running bibs will be available on site.

Commanding General’s Reception and Surviving Family Dance Saturday, October 17, 2015 Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Reception at 5 p.m. followed by dance at 6 p.m.

Cole Park Commons

MG Volesky and Mrs. Volesky will host a reception to provide an opportunity for them to get to know the Surviving Families in attendance. This informal setting will allow Survivors to speak with the Commanding General and Command team while enjoying a everyone’s company.

To RSVP for the week’s events: Online: https://einvitations.afit.edu/inv/anim.cfm?i=259673&k=00644B0F7C54 Phone by calling (270) 412-8909 • Email at leslie.a.herlick.civ@mail.mil Like our Facebook Page: Fort Campbell ACS Survivor Outreach Services

Butterfly Release and Brunch Sunday, October 18, 2015 Butterfly Release at 9:30 a.m. and brunch served immediately after ACS SOS Building (5001 Screaming Eagle Drive)

Butterflies are a symbol of hope and rebirth. ACS SOS would like to invite all Surviving Families to an event that culminates this very special week on Fort Campbell. People of all ages are welcome to gather to take part in a touching butterfly release in honor of our Fallen Service Members. Participants are encouraged to tell their butterfly a wish for their loved one before it flies away into the crisp autumn air. In the peaceful surroundings of the ACS SOS building, join us for this amazing event. Brunch and refreshments will follow inside.

Survivors should feel free to mingle and introduce themselves to the Commanders in attendance.

Attendees will be greeted and seated according to the guest list, so please RSVP to ensure you have a seat. Event attire is Sunday best as this event will lead into the Surviving Family Member dance.

Get ready for the red carpet and flashing lights as Cole Park Commons is transformed into Hollywood. The Surviving Family dance will allow you to escape for a night out on the town in Hollywood! Formal wear is not required to attend, but feel free to dress up as much as you like. Stars decorated at Thursday’s social will be used to create a Fallen Heroes Walk of Fame.

A Survivor favorite from last year, this event will feature a red carpet, photo booth, balloons, dessert bar and more. Families in attendance will get the opportunity to learn all the latest dance moves lead by the DJ. If you are looking for a night out on the town, a reason to dress up, and an opportunity to relax this is the event for you! Making memories in style!

Events at a Glance: Surviving Family Social and Star Decoration • Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 6 p.m.

ACS SOS Building (5001 Screaming Eagle Drive) Division Run for the Fallen • Friday, October 16, 2015 at 6 a.m. Town Center Park (Across from Division Headquarters) Go Commando Fun Run, 5K, 10K or Half Marathon • Saturday, October 17, 2015 Half Marathon & 10K start at 7:30 a.m. • 5k starts at 8:00am • Liberty Fun Run starts at 10:00am • Wilma Rudolph Event Center at Liberty Park; Clarksville, TN • Register at: www.gocommandoclarksville.com with code FALLEN Commanding General’s Reception and Surviving Family Dance • Saturday, October 17, 2015 Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Reception at 5 p.m. followed by dance at 6 p.m. Cole Park Commons Butterfly Release and Brunch • Sunday, October 18, 2015 Butterfly Release at 9:30 a.m. and brunch served immediately after ACS SOS Building (5001 Screaming Eagle Drive) Boots on the Ground Display • Thursday, October 15 – Sunday, October 18, 2015 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., daily • Division Headquarters (2700 Indiana Avenue)

Boots on the Ground Display Thursday, October 15 – Sunday, October 18 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., daily Division Headquarters (2700 Indiana Avenue)

Boots have been collected from military service members across Fort Campbell and abroad to honor our fallen service members who died in the support of the Global War on Terror since September 11, 2001. This display of combat boots honors the memories and sacrifice of the military men and women who gave their lives while serving our country. Each boot is adorned with a photo of a service member, date of death and which conflict served or location stationed. The boots will be on display on the Division Headquarters lawn from October 15 until October 18.

Mementos, pictures and items left with the boot will be collected on October 18 and stored with the boot until the following year. The boots are respectfully boxed and stored until the next year’s display.

The Parrish House Through the Years Compiled by Leslie Herlick

Parrish House is the oldest known surviving structure on Fort Campbell. It was originally constructed as a two pen (chamber), two story log home in 1833 on a property known as Aspen Plains.

Aspen Plains was owned by David Parrish who was a prominent citizen and farmer in Christian County.

The house itself was possibly designed by Daniel Umbenhauer, a self-styled architect originally from Pennsylvania.

the years was sold to the Southern Trust Company in 1926 to cover their mortgage payments, and they lost the land and house. In 1928, the property was acquired in a conveyance by R. Alphonso Walker. He used it to house sharecroppers who farmed the land.

In 1944, the land was condemned and acquired by the US Government to be included as part of Camp Campbell.

When the Army first acquired the land, Parrish House was used as a security base for the Military Police. Starting in 1947, the house was used to house the Commanding General or other senior officers and their Families. Some prominent residents of Parrish House include MG Barsanti (1967-68) who took the last 2 brigades of the 101st Airborne Division to Vietnam, MG John Keane (1993-96) who eventually went on to command the XVIII Airborne Corps and continues to serve as a National Security Analyst on Fox News, and MG David Petraeus (2002-04) who eventually went on to head the Central Intelligence Agency. The last Commanding General to live at Parrish House was MG James McConnville (2012-14), who ensured that

this house would be dedicated and used to support Surviving Families of Fallen Service Members.

The original cabin encompasses the kitchen, the dining room (being used as an office), and the attic area above. The upper level of the cabin is in the attic and is relatively intact and unchanged. The stone fireplace and original hearth are still there. The house had several modifications and additions, with the first being in the 1850’s, which added the two story frame, which concealed the cabin. Another addition, constructed in the mid to late 1880’s added the two David Parrish fought against the British in rooms to the north end of the house. These were used the War of 1812, and moved to Christian County in as the dentist office, as there is a separate entrance to the early 1830’s. He purchased the 464 acres on which these rooms. There have also been minor alterations the home was built for $3000. He died in 1876, and to the house over the years, such as replacement of left the property to his son James the original staircase tread and balustrades, Parrish. James sold the property to John the fireplaces being modified or covered In BG Mark Stammer’s remarks during the October 31, 2014 W. Jones in 1885. Jones was a farmer over, and the digging of a cellar to building dedication, he stated, “The house you see before you has and the Superintendent of accommodate a central heating plant. undergone many changes since beginning as a two story log cabin.

Sunday School at what is now Bethel Now the home of Fort It has served many purposes beginning as the Parrish Family home, United Methodist Church, which still Campbell’s Army Community Services but its most important mission lies ahead. Today we dedicate the stands in the median of Fort Campbell Survivor Outreach program, Surviving Parrish House to all our Fallen Service Members and the Families Boulevard right outside of Gate 3. Jones Families are welcome to tour the house and who so bravely served with them. May this building be a place of left the house to his two daughters see the rooms and history this storied hope and new beginnings for our Families of the Fallen. Army when he died. His daughter Birdie building represents. The Parrish House’s married Dr. J.A.B. Word, who was a Community Service Survivor Outreach Services will now truly have most important mission is at hand; dentist. He used the 1880’s addition to a home away from home, where Survivors can find comfort in times providing support and shelter from the the home as a clinic. Much of the of need. A place where the legacy and story of Fallen Service storm for our Surviving Families who have property that the Words acquired over sacrificed so much.

Members lives on and will never be forgotten.”

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1. 101st Airborne Division Headquarters 2. 19th Hole (Cole Park) 3. Army Community Service (ACS) & ACS Director Director 4. Army Education Center 5. Arts and Crafts Center, Center, Guenette 6. ASYMCA Backdoor Boutique 7. ASYMCA Family Center 8. Auto Service Center, Center, Air Assault Auto 9. Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers Program Program (BOSS) 10. Blanchfield Army Community Hospital 11. Bowling Center, Center, Hooper 12. Civilian Personnel Advisory Center 13. Commissary 2. Cole Park Commons 30. CYSS, Parent Parent Central Services (Central Registration) 30. CYSS, School Liaison 38. CYSS, SKIESUnlimited Center 14. Dog Kennels 17. Dawg Haus (Dining) 18. Estep W Wellness ellness Center (Gear-to-Go) 19. Equipment Rental (Gear-to-Go) 20. Exchange/Food Court/Mall Resource Center (FRC) 21. Family Resource 22. Financial Readiness (Army Emer Emergency gency Relief)

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23. Fryar Stadium, Sports Admin Office Office 2. Golf Course (Cole Park) 15. Joe Swing (Rental Recreation Recreation Facility) 20. Leisure Travel Services Leisure Travel 26. Library, Library, R.F R.F. F.. Sink Memorial 27. MWR Director Director F. Pratt 28. Museum, Don F. Recreation Main Building 29. Outdoor Recreation 31. Pool, Baldonado 32. Pool, Dolan Gardner Indoor 33. Pool, Gardner 34. Pool, Single Recreation Center, Center, Dale Wayrynen Wayrynen 9. Recreation 14. Riding Stables (SFAC) 39. Soldier and Family Assistance Center (SFAC) Buffet (Cole Park) 2. Southern Buffet

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41. Smokehaus (Dining) 42. T Teen een Club 24/7 43. The Zone 44. T Tricare ricare 45. V Veterinary eterinary Services 46. Wilson Theater 42. Y Youth outh Center (T (Taylor) aylor) 42. Y Youth outh Sports

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The impact of

a single boot

A look back at last year’s boot display

By Becki Mastrian In June 2014, I was looking for a short term project that would be meaningful to me and make a difference in our Fort Campbell community. When my friend Suzy Yates spoke of creating a temporary boot display memorial here, I immediately asked if I could join in the effort.

You see, Suzy is the Army Community Service Survivor Outreach Services (ACS SOS) Program Manager and the display would be part of the Military Survivor Appreciation Week. I knew that Families and friends of those service members in the display would come to it to remember and heal together. It sounded like the perfect short term project for me.

So, we began to collect the boots. At first dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of boots accumulated in the SOS building. Boxes were collected to store them in. Shoelaces were donated as many boots were missing them. There were so many different sizes and colors of boots collected from various eras and branches of the military.

I knew the boots would be tagged with a service member’s name and rank as well as date of birth and death and location of death. That meant to me that

there was a story within the tag on the boot. I did not who walked up to me after seeing his friends’ boots; he realize that there would be stories within the boots had to try several times just to get out the words, themselves. We received boots worn in Vietnam, a pair “Thank you.” from someone’s basic training at Fort Campbell many We then loaded the tagged boots into the old years ago, pairs from Europe, Afghanistan, and all over the boxes to be moved to a warehouse to dry out. The rain United States. Many included notes with their and the dew had made everything damp. After a week of experience or the story of a death of a friend and their drying out, the boots were placed into 31 giant boxes in thanks for working on the project. Our volunteers were order of month and year to make it easier for this year’s motivated by these notes as they worked to place a water display organization. bottle inside and lace up the thousands of boots to keep them upright during the display.

Volunteers had their own stories as well.

They were Gold Star Moms, Gold Star Wives or Husbands, those that had lost a friend or Family member, or those who just wanted to make a difference like I did. We talked, laughed, and cried our way through the processing of the boots.

It was then time to create the display on October 24, 2014. Soldiers and volunteers moved over 200 boxes over to the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters building and began placing the boots on the lawn.

We added the tags to the boots, ensuring that all were in date order and if there were multiple losses on the same day, they were then placed in alphabetic order within that date. This took place over several days. It was time consuming; it was exhausting; it Seeing the project through from beginning to was raining, but it was also rewarding and meaningful as end met most of my original goal: to work on something we would see those service members’ faces and names meaningful to me and make a difference in our as well as the progress we made. Their friends and community. I just didn’t realize how much of a difference Families were visiting and then helping us tag other boots it would make within me. However, I no longer consider in order to complete the display. this a short term project. I look forward to working on this We asked for more boots as we were over year’s display and for many years to come.

1,000 boots short to complete the project. Amazingly, we Interested in Volunteering? had all of the boots and more within 2 days! When the Volunteers are the key to making this display truly display was complete, we volunteers and Suzy hugged memorable. Volunteers are needed to staff the information and celebrated our efforts.

We spent 11 days watching over the display table from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily, assist with boot display set up, prepare boots to be added to the display, and from sunrise to sunset, speaking with visitors and helping more. If you are interested in volunteering in this year’s them find their boot or decorating a boot for their Service display, please contact Suzy Yates at (270) 798-0272.

Member. We listened to stories, we handed out tissues Prior to anyone volunteering with the program, there will and hugs, and many times, we cried with them. Even as I type, I tear up thinking of the very emotional young man be an informational brief on October 8 at 10 a.m. in the ACS SOS Building • 5001 Screaming Eagle Drive.