FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- (Oct. 9, 2015) Volunteers with Army Community Service Survivor Outreach Service, along with two platoons of Soldiers, will begin the task of placing more than 7,000 boots on the lawn of the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters, Tuesday. Boots on the Ground is an annual display that is part of Fort Campbell's Military Survivor Appreciation Week.
The display will officially open at 8 a.m. Oct. 15 and will continue through Oct. 18. Hours to visit Boots on the Ground will be 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
"This is Fort Campbell's way of coming together -- that's not to say that we only remember the loss that one week -- it is our week to focus on our surviving families and make sure that they realize no matter how long ago the loss was, no matter how the loss occurred there is a program that is going to take care of them for life," said Suzy Yates, SOS program manager. "We remain dedicated, and this is one way that we show it each year."
Each boot in the display, complete with photo and name tag, represents a service member who died while on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. While last year, most of the boots reflected service members who died overseas, Yates and her team invite families who suffered a stateside death and want their loved one included in the display to contact the SOS office. Organizers anticipate that about 100 boots will be added to this year's display.
People visiting this year's display are encouraged to leave items with the boot of a friend or loved one. Nonperishable items, if attached to the boot, will remain with the boot. A table with crayons, markers and paper will be set up at the display. Additionally, there will be rings to attach the handmade mementos and a laminator to make everything weatherproof.
"Best case scenario is everything stays with the boot, as long as we can attach it some way, shape or form … as long as it is self-contained we can store it year-after-year," Yates said. "What I thought was really amazing last year was that a lot of our surviving kids wrote letters to their fallen service member, and they plan to do so every year, and so they have something to go back to and see what they left in previous years."
The boot display provided healing for many who visited the site last year, Yates said.
"The best part for me the event was watching the amount of healing. I could anticipate working in the field that I do the survivors coming out. What I did not anticipate was the amount of active duty service members and our veterans that were coming out to the boots," she said. "Seeing the healing that they were experiencing, especially our Vietnam era veterans … they were just honored that someone was doing something to honor the veterans and to see that was amazing to me."
Yates encourages anyone who missed the display last year to stop by this year.
"I planned the whole thing; logistically I knew everything that was going to happen last year," she said. "But the first time I walked out there and saw all of (the boots) together it took my breath away. To me those are all people, they all have a family, they all have battle buddies that were serving along side of them and when you think of the magnitude of that how many people are affected by the loss and times that by 7,000 boots that were out there -- it was overwhelming. I talk to those boots like they are people, it means something to me, it's a personal mission."
Yates is the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and said that her "patriotic experience" started early in life selling poppies at football games with the VFW.
"I just strongly believe that when you see this display in its entirety it sends a strong message of the amount of loss that we have experienced since the beginning of these conflicts and the amount of people affected by a single loss -- words cannot describe that. It is something that you need to see, and it is something that you need to experience."
Other events that are part of Military Survivor Appreciation Week that are open to the public include the Division Run for the Fallen at 6 a.m. Oct. 16 and Go Commando Fun Run, 5K, 10K or Half Marathon.
The Division Run for the Fallen is a run or walk event that is open to the public that starts at Division Headquarters. Runners and walkers will meet up at 6 a.m., and the run begins at 6:30, with a shorter alternate route available.
Go Commando takes place on Oct. 17 at Liberty Park in Clarksville. Gold Star Families who wish to participate, can have their registration fee waived by entering the code FALLEN at gocommandoclarksville.com.
Related Links:
Behind the scenes with Fort Campbell's Survivor Outreach Services
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