Remembering the fallen: 7,010 boots on the ground for Memorial Day in Newport, R.I.
Operation Stand Down Rhode Island hosts an annual memorial event at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island that presents the thousands of service member lives lost in action post-9/11 in the Global War on Terror.OPERATION STAND DOWN RHODE ISLAND
Twenty-nine service members from Rhode Island lost their lives while serving in US military forces in the Global War on Terror after September 11, 2001.
This weekend, those 29 soldiers will be remembered and represented by combat boots adorned with an American flag as part of the fifth annual “Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial” at Fort Adams in Newport.
The 7,010 combat boots on display will have placards with the names and photos of the fallen, along with biographical information, military branch, rank, and circumstances of death. The memorial event is free to the public. Each boot represents an American service member killed in action.
Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, a nonprofit that is provides resources for at-risk veterans and those experiencing homelessness, is hosting the display over Memorial Day weekend. Each year, the Memorial is updated to incorporate additional US service members killed in the on-going war.
Rhode Island’s Gold Star families will place the boots down for those 29 service members that were killed.OPERATION STAND DOWN RHODE ISLAND
The boots are alphabetized and organized by state and US territories, so that those with a personal connection can locate a specific fallen hero’s boot, said Jessica Miller, a spokeswoman for Operation Stand Down.
The memorial, which began in 2016, was displayed at Roger Williams Park in Providence for the first three years. In 2019, it started being displayed at Fort Adams, which is one of the oldest military posts in the country.
Family members of the 29 Rhode Islanders will place the boots representing their service members in a private ceremony on Friday, Miller said. Volunteers and OSDRI staff will help set up the rest of the boots, and remove them on Tuesday. The memorial will be open to the public Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
By Alexa Gagosz