May 2019 | Vol. 13 Iss. 05 factory seconds blowout!
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FALLEN SOLDIERS EVENT HAS CREATED A FAMILY BOND ON AND OFF THE SOFTBALL FIELD
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By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com
T
he call that would forever change the family of Gary and Christi Barton of West Jordan came at 2:22 a.m. the morning of Oct. 14, 2013. Staff Sergeant Zackary Skyler Barton, stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, was gone. With no warning to family or friends, he had taken his own life after serving the United States for five years. “It was devastating,” his mother Christi Barton said. “We were totally in shock and it was the middle of the night. We felt so helpless.” Christi said she and her husband Gary had just been on the phone with Zack that morning for nearly two hours and had been laughing together. “He was doing exactly what he had wanted to do since he was 5 years old and he absolutely loved serving,” she said. “I even thought that he sounded happier than he had ever been.” And just like that, the Bartons became part of a club they never dreamed would happen. They were now a Gold Star family — a distinction given to those who have lost a family member in active military service. The National Guard provides services for Gold Star families, and among the opportunities was the Fallen Heroes program that former Corner Canyon softball coach Garrett Hone and assistant Quinn Linde created in 2016 to pair up Chargers players and families of fallen soldiers, which culminated in a military appreciation game each season. It was then the Bartons, who had practically lived on baseball fields for the past 15 years themselves, again had a life-changing event: they met then-freshman softball player Josee Haycock. “Josee is an amazing girl. She excels at so many things and was actually so much like Zack with how
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Staff Sergeant Zack Barton’s family is surrounded by the Corner Canyon High softball team at the Fallen Heroes game March 27. (Photo courtesy Josee Haycock)
smart she is and how accomplished she is,” Gary Barton said. “She was the perfect fit for our family.” Haycock said she first met the Bartons just prior to a game against Granger three years ago. “It made me play for a whole different reason — for Zack,” she said. “I remember hitting back-to-back doubles, stealing a few bags, and even making a couple of diving plays. It’s crazy how when you truly play for something greater than you, you play with more heart and soul.”
The Bartons, along with their daughter Khaia, didn’t just come to a game or two to cheer on Haycock that first season; they have attended every high school and competitive softball game she has played, including trips to St. George each year for tournaments. “We follow her all over and pretty much just stalk her,” Gary Barton said, noting that they will continue the trend with Haycock’s move to the college ranks at Salt Lake Community College. Haycock said the Bartons’ support Continued on page 5
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