FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- More than 1,000 people in the Fort Campbell and surrounding communities came together, Nov. 1, to honor fallen service members despite chilly morning temperatures.
The Hero and Remembrance Run, Walk or Roll served as the capstone event for Military Survivor Appreciation Week, where Army Community Service Survivor Outreach Services invited the Family and friends of fallen service members back to Fort Campbell for a week of activities.
It was the first year for Fort Campbell to host the 5K run and one-mile walk that has expanded to several installations during the past few years. What sets the event apart from other memorial runs is the nearly 7,000 boots collected to represent each service member killed in action since 9/11.
The display of boots, each of which featured a photo, the service member's name and date of death, were arranged on the lawn of 101st Airborne Division Headquarters for viewing throughout the week.
Adverse weather conditions and below freezing temperatures caused post officials to make the decision to leave the boots in place at McAuliffe Hall where they remained until Tuesday morning instead of lining the run route as originally planned.
As participants arrived for the run, which kicked off just after 8 a.m. Nov. 1, many of them pinned bibs on their T-shirts and hoodies. These papers listed the names of fallen service members that participants chose to memorialize during the run. Prior to the run at Town Center Park, Courtney Herrera donned a simple sign and spoke fondly of her husband, Staff Sgt. Octavio Herrera and his battle buddies.
"He was killed last year along with two of his Soldiers: Sgt. Jamar Hicks and Spc. Keith Grace," Herrera said.
Herrera still lives in Clarksville, and she said she appreciates the outstanding support from SOS and the community as a whole.
"As a Gold Star wife, it's hard for us, but it makes us feel proud of our Soldiers even more that other people are acknowledging them and remembering their sacrifice," she said. "This community here does an amazing job at it for sure."
Laura Dossett came out to walk and remember her best friend, Cpl. Kenneth Necochea Jr. As part of the week's events, Dossett came to post from Hopkinsville Oct. 27 to personalize Necochea's boot. The love Dossett still holds for the Soldier is evident, nearly four years after Necochea's death in Afghanistan.
"When I got to know him, as silly as it sounds, I've never met anyone like him," Dossett said. "He was the happiest, goofiest, just most content human I've ever met in my entire life."
"I'll just never let an opportunity pass where I can honor him in any way. He did so much for our country. I'm never going to let his memory die -- ever."
The Hero and Remembrance Run, Walk and Roll came about after months of effort as SOS staff and a team of volunteers worked to collect boots. All the boots were donated from Soldiers, Family members, Veterans, civilians and businesses near and far. The number of boots required to represent all service members killed in combat since 9/11 came in just days before the run.
The boots came from present-day Soldiers, Vietnam-era Veterans and all branches service, from stateside and overseas locations. Many Fort Campbell units took part in the SOS-sponsored Boot Wars.
At the run, the unit that collected the most boots was awarded a holiday party at Joe Swing Recreational Facility. The unit to donate the most boots (421 total) was 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101 Abn. Div.
Many Gold Star Family members, a term used for those related to fallen service members, worked throughout the boot drive to make it a success. Stephanie Dostie is a Gold Star wife who lost her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dostie, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She helped out in preparation for the run and throughout the boot drive by lacing up boots, placing them in front of division headquarters and more.
"You feel a presence of every single hero that's out there," Dostie said. "… Helping on such a huge project brings me closer to my hero and all the other heroes that are out there."
Dostie was also present at the Parrish House, Oct. 31, for the Survivor Outreach Services dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. The Parrish House, located behind Marshall Elementary School, formerly served as the home to the post's commanding generals. Now, SOS will use the location as an office and home away from home for military survivors.
"… You're always safe when you're with Family and [when] you walk through the front door it's a home," Dostie said, of the new location. "It's very calming. It's very peaceful."
While this year's Military Survivor Appreciation Week is now complete, 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell Senior Commander Brig. Gen. Mark R. Stammer let these Family members and friends know they will always be welcome.
"It has been humbling and inspiring to hear the stories of hope and healing this week that have brought our surviving Families, service members, military Families and America together," he said at the Parrish House. "Regardless of circumstance or branch of service, surviving Families will always remain a part of our Eagle Family."
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