Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Cynthia Clark | Combat boots with the names and pictures of those lost in Operations Iraqi and...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKHAM, HI - December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked ships moored on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor. It wasn’t until Sept. 11, 2001, that the United States saw an attack on its own soil that was as catastrophic as that infamous day in 1941. Twelve years later, on Sept. 11, 2013, sailors, soldiers, Gold Star Family Members and volunteers honored those who lost their lives since the attacks, bringing those two infamous days in American history full circle.
“We want to bring honor to the fallen, because today is why they’re here,” said Theresa Johnson, volunteer director of the Hawaii Fisher House. “We’re not here to mourn the loss, but celebrate the life. We want to focus on what they did, not how they left, so we want to honor them, not mourn them.”
Fisher House volunteers honored more than 6,000 service members who lost their lives during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. They used combat boots, and combined with a picture, name of the service members and American flag, they ensured the memory of those who were lost will not be forgotten. A prayer and a moment of silence on Sept. 11, wasn’t the only way these heroes were honored. The Tripler Fisher House hosted an eight-kilometer Hero and Remembrance Run, Walk or Roll, Saturday, Sept. 7, on historic Ford Island.
“These boots are special and tied to Hawaii,” Johnson continued. “If you have passion and you share it, your community will take interest in it.”
According to Johnson, thousands of hands from the community helped every step of the way, from preparing the boots, to lining them along the route, handing out water during the Run, Walk or Roll – even putting the boots back in storage for next year’s events.
Johnson is not only the volunteer director at the Fisher House here, she’s also the wife and mother of an Army soldier. In the past year, her husband has been transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, so she’s been sharing her time between Texas and Hawaii. Even when she is with her husband in Texas full-time, she will return for the annual Hawaii event.
“I will still come back and do this event, this is my baby and these are our kids,” she said. “I will make sure this is done right.”
Many past and present service members benefit in more than one way from this form of remembrance.
A past service member, Mark Erice, joined the Army from Hawaii and lost 19 fellow Soldiers while he was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, while deployed in 2008.
“First and foremost we all know that Sept. 11, 2001 -- that’s when they attacked our nation and this is what initiated the war,” he said. “I’m here to honor, not just my fallen brothers that I had the honor to serve with, but every single one. Every year I try to do something to honor all the fallen.”
It is events such as the Fisher House Walk, Run or Roll, which help Erice through the pain and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) he suffers from as a result of the attack on his unit five years ago.
“It’s the fact that I love doing things like this, because it’s a good coping skill for us that have problems with PTSD,” he continued.
“Sometimes people think it is a weakness to ask for professional help. I used to think like that. Me having my wife and my kids, it changes a lot of perspective, because I’m not just worried about me, I have my wife and my daughter to take care of.”
Erice continued to use this event to share his thoughts on seeking help for PTSD, that it’s not a weakness, but essential for a successful life following a traumatic incident.
“I wish my fellow veterans that are going through the same problems and I hope and pray that they will find the courage to find help,” he said. “I’m so glad to share my stories today … I’m so motivated to come here. I hope some of the veterans who are having problems will hear this and ask for help, [because] there’s a lot of help out there.” Not only was this beneficial for those who served in combat, it is events like this that also help those currently serving.
“This event takes away the statistic of how many have paid the ultimate sacrifice into seeing who our heroes really are,” said U.S. Navy Chief Career Counselor Rex Parmelee. “Also, the interaction with the families and friends of the fallen were the most rewarding aspect of photographing the event. I was able to listen to the stories of the brave men and women and felt like they were there in spirit. We must never give up remembering.”
This event was not only healing for former and current service members, but also for the Gold Star Family Members – those who have lost a family member in the line of duty.
One such family member is Shannon Cleary, sister of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary, who lost his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom on Dec. 20, 2005. According to his sister, Lt. Cleary decided to serve his country on that fateful day in September of 2001.
“I was proud all the way through,” Cleary said. “The last time I talked to him was Sept. 11, 2005. I think that when he left he knew he wasn’t coming home.”
Involvement in this project has been very important to her, “as soon as I heard about this project it rang true and like it was the first time that I felt it was my sign that Mike is here too,” she said.
According to Cleary, this was her way to connect with fellow family members who have lost loved ones.
“I feel like here they are being honored out here in the middle of the Pacific and if the smallest thing I can do is to come out and either lace some boots and send photos to those families who are on the mainland,” she continued. “[Those] who have no idea that their brothers and sisters and sons and daughters and friends are being honored out here –This is important. To be in the most remote spot in the entire world and to have this kind of effort and remembrance is astounding.”
Around the United States of America, flags are flown half-staff today, with ceremonies being held to honor those who lost their lives, either in one of the towers, the Pentagon or the plane crash in Pennsylvania. The one thing that makes this ceremony the most meaningful is the history behind it. This is the place where, before September of 2001, America was last attacked on a monumental scale – what more fitting than honoring those who have lost their lives in retaliation of the most recent attack on American soil, and to honor those who have lost their lives as a result of the events 12-years-ago today.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2013 06:22 |
| Story ID: | 113505 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Fallen service members honored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, by PO1 Cynthia Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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