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“Their children are all of our children, their loved ones are
all of ours and it's our responsibility as a community and as a
nation to remember.” Theresa Johnson
FORT HOOD, Texas —
Boots.
7,000 combat boots to be exact.
The boots lined the
streets of Fort Hood to honor those fallen since 9/11.
The
occasion was the Fort Hood Fisher House Hero & Remembrance Run, Walk
or Roll, in which hundreds showed up to pay homage to the fallen.
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A row of boots line a street during a Remembrance Walk, Run or
Roll at Fort Hood, Texas on Nov. 1, 2014. Theresa Johnson, Fort Hood
Fisher House manager and event coordinator, started the event in
2012 while stationed in Hawaii. Johnson, who has three sons, viewed
Vimoto as a fourth son. (U.S Army photo by Sgt. Angel Turner, 1st
Cav. Div.)
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But for organizer Theresa Johnson, the 2.5 mile event had
a special meaning. One of the boots lining the path belonged
to her fourth son, Pfc. Timothy Vimoto.
Although not
her son by birth, Timothy became close to Johnson and her
Family while stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, together.
The idea for the run was sparked by the remembrance of
Timothy's 2007 death.
The
day a father lost his son
His death took
Johnson off guard, but it was Timothy's father, Command Sgt.
Maj. Isaia Vimoto, who had to give the news to his Family.
“All I thought about
was, ‘how I am going to tell my wife and Family?'” Vimoto
said. “The day Timothy died, it was the day before our
transfer of authority ceremony,” said the senior Vimoto, who
was Timothy's brigade command sergeant major at the time. He
said he was walking back to the headquarters following a
rehearsal when the unit received word that one of the
subordinate units came under enemy fire.
The unit was
Task Force ROK — his son's battalion.
Two were killed
in action.
“I was sitting there listening,” he said.
It was Battle Company, 2nd Platoon — his son's unit.
“I was praying,” said Vimoto who is currently the
command sergeant major for XVIII Airborne Corps . “I sent my
silent prayer to the Lord — ‘I hope that's not my son.'”
Vimoto learned his son's team leader was shot in the
shoulder.
Then he received the news — his son was
gone.
“My boss came out and said, ‘Sergeant major,
let's go for a walk. Let's walk to our office,'” Vimoto
said. “I knew then the KIA was my son.”
“My boss
hugged me, started crying and said, ‘Sergeant major, I'm so
sorry. Your son didn't make it.'”
It was those words
“...your son didn't make it,” that would later motivate the
remembrance run organizer, Johnson, to put together an event
to not only honor Timothy, but America's fallen.
Remembrance
“In
2012, I decided I wanted to do something, because my son was
getting ready to deploy,” said Johnson, who started the
remembrance event while stationed in Hawaii. “But I also
wanted to honor Tim and his sacrifice and a couple of other
friends of ours who lost their children.”
She said instead of just remembering Tim
or a couple of people, she wanted to honor all or none.
“I thought the best way to do that was to bring back the
names and faces,” she said.
“What I decided to do was
get boots and find the pictures of everybody.” Johnson said
the event is a way to give the community, both military and
civilian, the opportunity to be a part of something bigger
than themselves.
“Their children are all of our
children,” she said. “Their loved ones are all of ours, and
it's our responsibility as a community and as a nation to
remember.”
This year, Fort Hood and Fort Campbell
took part in the event, which was the first time it was held
outside of Hawaii. Although the Vimoto and Johnson Families
were close, the command sergeant major, Isaia, said he did
not know the event existed.
“I did not follow what
Theresa did in Hawaii,” he said. “It wasn't until the run at
Fort Hood, when my wife told me ... I was speechless.”
Fort Hood Remembers
It was a cool Saturday morning. Despite most people being
sleep as the darkness still lingered in the morning air,
Soldiers, friends and Families of the Fort Hood community
gathered at Sadowski Field and waited for the run to begin.
At the start,
those in attendance began running, walking and rolling along
the route where the boots lined the roadways.
Although the morning air brought a few shivers to the crowd
of people, it did not deter them from viewing the boots.
For one person, searching for a specific boot brought a
bittersweet moment.
“It hit home for me,” said Nicole
Harrell, as she searched for the boot of her fallen comrade,
Spc. Luke Frist. “Although I've had other Soldiers that
we've encountered loss with, I remember this one.”
The memories of Frist brought tears to her eyes, but she
managed to smile while walking the line of boots.
A
common scene throughout the route of boots was people
bending down, taking photos and wiping away falling tears.
Now that Command Sgt. Maj. Vimoto, former senior
enlisted advisor to the 1st Cavalry Division, knows about
the event, he said he looks forward to being a part of that
togetherness in the future.
Since more communities
are adopting this, it's like throwing a rock into the water
and now there is a ripple effect, Vimoto said. It sends a
message.
Although Vimoto has not had the opportunity
to take part in Johnson's event, he has read articles
written about her and her efforts to spread the memory of
America's fallen heroes.
What started out as one life
turned into 7,000 boots, later turned into communities
around the U.S. coming together to honor America's fallen
heroes.
“I get goose bumps,” Vimoto said. “I feel
ecstatic and honored that one person's initiative has
affected a nation.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Angel Turner
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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