7000 combat boots memorialize soldiers at Fort Bragg as US Army veteran connects each shoe with its family members
- The memorial at Fort Bragg, Indiana, was created three years ago by Survivor Outreach Services to honor the lives of soldiers who died in Afghanistan and Iraq
- Retired Army veteran and Fort Bragg employee, Mike Thomas, has made it his mission to connect families unable to see the memorial with their loved ones
- His post this year of the boots has been shared almost 200k times
- He has found 50 boots this year and hopes to have all the shoes done by the end of the year
A memorial dedicated to soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq is using 7000 boots to honor their legacy and service.
The display - in its third year of existence - covers the recreation field at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was created by Survivor Outreach Services (SOS).
Retired Army veteran and Fort Bragg employee, Mike Thomas, has made it his mission to connect families unable to see the memorial with their loved ones.
A memorial at Fort Bragg, Indiana, was created three years ago by Survivor Outreach Services to honor the lives of soldiers who died in Afghanistan and Iraq
Retired Army veteran and Fort Bragg employee, Mike Thomas, has made it his mission to connect families unable to see the memorial with their loved ones
Thomas, who works at Fort Bragg, sends the pictures of the boots - arranged by the month and year of a soldier's death - to loved ones
Last year, the former servicemen made a post offering to take a photo of any boot and send it to that soldier's family and while the response was minimal, Thomas was just happy he could help.
This year however, Thomas's Facebook post which he made on Friday has already received just under 200k shares with many sending their thanks and appreciation for all the work that the vet is doing.
Thomas even told Fox 13 that after he got to work on the searches he looked up each soldiers death on the Department of Defense's website.
Thomas found the boot of 1st Lieutenant Weston C Lee, a distinguished paratrooper who was killed fighting ISIS on April 29, 2017, and represents the latest in casualties from the Middle East
He also located the boots of Lt Brendan Looney and Marine 1st Lt Travis L Manion who were roommates at the United States Naval Academy
And although the display has since been taken a part, Thomas hopes that by this time next year, he can connect each boot to its family.
This year alone, the father-of-one documented at least 50 of the boots - that are arranged by the month and year of a soldier's death - and sent the photos to their loved ones.
He found the boot of 1st Lieutenant Weston C Lee, a distinguished paratrooper who was killed fighting ISIS on April 29, 2017, and represents the latest in casualties from the Middle East.
The father-of-one took a photo of their boots together even though they didn't die at the same place
Thomas is glad that folks are invested in finding out more about the boots in the display and said of the soldiers: 'They will be never forgotten as long as we speak their names and honor their lives'
Thomas also located the boots of Lt Brendan Looney and Marine 1st Lt Travis L Manion who were roommates at the United States Naval Academy.
They would both later pass in two separate line of duty incidents and they now rest side-by-side in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
While the friends didn't die at the same time, Thomas was able to get their boots next to each other so that he could send their photos to both families.
Thomas is glad that folks are invested in finding out more about the boots in the display and said of the soldiers: 'They will be never forgotten as long as we speak their names and honor their lives.'
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