Photo By Sgt. Kelvin Johnson | The color guard with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) "Strike", 101st Airborne...... read more read more
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Gander Memorial Ceremony
(U.S. Army Story by Spc. Kelvin Johnson Jr )
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.–The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) honored the memory of the 248 Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, who lost their lives in a plane crash on December 12, 1985, at Gander, Newfoundland, Canada.
The Soldiers were coming home after a peacekeeping deployment for six months in the Sinai Peninsula.
"This was a huge and devastating loss to everyone," said 1st. Sgt. Matthew Kruse, rear detachment noncommissioned officer in charge for 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 101st Abn. Div. (AA). "The loss of every Soldier is felt by a variety of individuals. Honoring and remembering them can help bring some closure to family and friends, knowing they will always have a place with the “Strike” family."
The 101st ensures that Gold Star family members are always a part of the community.
"2nd Brigade is grateful to be able to do this every year to support the Gold Star family members and make sure they realize that they will always be a part of the “Strike” family and are not forgotten," said Kruse.
Families stood tall as they visited their loved one's tree and stopped by the memorial as they took a seat before the ceremony.
Each Soldier has their own sugar maple tree. The purpose of the tree is to represent all 248 fallen Soldiers and the eight flight crew members in the crash.
After reading about the crash, Janice Johnston, 15 at the time, offered her babysitting money to buy a sugar maple tree to honor the victims of the crash. She wanted a living memorial that does not grow old with time but blooms anew each year.
During the ceremony, Soldiers from 2nd BCT stood in formation while there was a moment of silence, ceremonial firing, placing the Gander wreath, and lastly, the playing of Taps.
Lt. Col. Todd Haralson, rear detachment commander of 2nd BCT, gave a speech during the ceremony. He reminded those who gathered "that our fallen "strike and kill" Soldiers are never forgotten."
He also added, “that it is wrong to mourn the Soldiers that died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”
After the ceremony, Naomi Hemingway took a stroll by her late husband's tree, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Hemingway, remembering their times together. From meeting her first love at a summer job in Staten Island, New York, to getting married at Ft. Campbell on May 9, 1981.
"The day we got married was amazing," she said. "The significance of it is I had to leave for basic training that day. He made sure I took my bouquet with me, so I showed up at basic training with my wedding bouquet."
Remembering those special moments helped Hemingway's healing process and to be able to tell his story.
"I always bring my kids and grandchildren here to his tree. I want them to know what this is and what it means to this family," Hemingway stated.
Hemingway brought her two sisters to his tree at this year's ceremony.
"This year's ceremony was something special. My two sisters came and we were able to see some of his old friends, other surviving family members again, and it helps," she said. "It helps because we support each other."
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| Date Taken: | 12.12.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2023 06:53 |
| Story ID: | 438954 |
| Location: | FT. CAMPBELL, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 311 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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