Chief Warfare Officer 2 Ronnie Haddox, assigned to the 5th Transportation Company (Composite Watercraft Company) at Yokohama North Dock, looks at boots on display at the “Hero’s Boots” ceremony held May 16 on Camp Zama in honor of Memorial Day.

CAMP ZAMA, Japan – As he knelt on the grass viewing combat boots placed there as symbols for fallen service members, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronnie Haddox reflected on his personal connection to the display.

The “Hero’s Boots” ceremony that the Army Community Service team hosted for the public here May 16 in conjunction with Memorial Day was a fitting event for Haddox and others to honor the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

ACS reached out to the community to temporarily donate combat boots — either their own or those of someone they knew — that were displayed near Camp Zama’s main gate for the ceremony. The boots had miniature American flags, photos and other memorabilia that donors contributed if they wanted to pay respects to a specific person.

Soldiers salute fallen service members during the “Hero’s Boots” ceremony held May 16 on Camp Zama in honor of Memorial Day.

Haddox, currently assigned to the 5th Transportation Company (Composite Watercraft Company) at Yokohama North Dock, was there to remember four former teammates with whom he served in Afghanistan 12 years ago.

In 2013, he was deployed with the 766th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company from Fort Stewart, Georgia, as an EOD technician. On May 14 of that year, in an abandoned village in Kandahar, an infantry dismounted patrol struck an improvised explosive device, IED. The team’s medic, in an attempt to save the life of the initial victim, triggered a second IED.

The situation escalated when the first EOD team, led by Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey C. Baker, responded. Baker, the EOD team leader, tragically triggered a third IED, killing him instantly. Others killed that day included Spc. Mitchell K. Daehling, William J. Gilbert and Cody J. Towse

Soldiers look at boots on display at the “Hero’s Boots” ceremony held May 16 on Camp Zama in honor of Memorial Day.

Haddox’s team was the second EOD unit called in to deal with the aftermath. Their mission was to go in and clear the area and recover the remains.

The incident had a profound impact on Haddox, he said. When he learned of Camp Zama’s memorial event, he knew he had to participate. The boots he donated belonged to him, but the honor was for his teammates who were killed in action on that day.

“I thought, there’s no better use for these boots than to donate them for the memorial,” he said. “For me, remembering these Soldiers is a fundamental responsibility … because they paid the ultimate price for this country.”

Haddox mourns all those who were killed that day, but personally knew Baker, whom he said was known for his upstanding character and dedication to his unit’s mission.

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey C. Baker, front center in the explosive ordnance disposal suit, then assigned to the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, at Fort Stewart, Georgia, poses with his team in Afghanistan in 2013. Baker was one of four members of the team who were killed during that deployment in an improvised explosive device attack. (Courtesy Photo)

“He was first and foremost a good man and a good Soldier — a good EOD tech [and] a good EOD leader,” Haddox said. “For this deployment, he was a last-minute replacement for another team leader. He didn’t have to go on this deployment; he volunteered.”

Reflecting on the history of the Army, which celebrates its 250th birthday this year, Haddox said there Soldiers have been laying down their lives for their country even before it was a country. And every Soldier, himself included, owes a debt to those who came before them — especially those who died in service to their country, he said.

“We owe it to those Soldiers to, as much as humanly possible, remember them and to carry their stories forward and create an unbroken line going back 250 years up until today,” Haddox said. “That is the story of the U.S. Army.”

For more information on the Soldiers killed in action who were mentioned in this story, visit:

https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-sgt-1st-class-jeffrey-c-baker/6568451

https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-spc-mitchell-k-daehling/6568449

https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-spc-william-j-gilbert/6568450

https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-spc-cody-j-towse/6568455