“Home of the free because of the brave”

Today’s blog post is a somber reminder of the sacrifices made in defense of our way of life.

More than 8.000 boots adorn Ford Island Field today, each one representing a military service member lost in the line of duty since the attacks on September 11th, 2001.  Each boot includes a photo of the service member with their name, branch, and a brief description of the operation and/or location where they were killed in action.  Some names may be familiar to you, such as Lieutenant Michael Murphy. Being a military spouse, this display really hits close to home for me.

Ford Island Field offers great conditions to capture such a beautiful display in honor of our heroes.  My goal here was to share this beautiful memorial with others who visit my site.  If you ever visit Oahu around 11 September, it is worth a quick stop by Ford Island Field to pay your respects to our heroes and witness this amazing tribute to our nation’s warriors. A helpful tip? Bring tissues! Its very emotional and heartbreaking seeing how many lives were lost.

This display is organized by the Fisher House Foundation every September as part of the Hero and Remembrance 8k Run, and this year I had the pleasure to participate and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

“Gone, but not forgotten”

Fact: The boots that are tied together means that they died together.