Colorado Gold Star Family, Isis Rizzo, front, daughter of Christine Rizzo, center, and Anthony Rizzo, place a flotilla constructed in honor of their fallen Soldier, Sgt. Todd Anthony Rizzo, into the flowing waters of the Arkansas River during the Fallen Heroes Flotilla Lantern ceremony at the Riverwalk in Pueblo May 20, 2016. (Photo by Master Sgt. Brent M. Williams)
By Master Sgt. Brent M. Williams
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
PUEBLO — “As we tread the waters of mourning and try to keep our hearts and heads afloat; and when friends don’t know what to say about a grief no words can heal, we find solace together in the embrace of those who understand the language that can’t be translated — a language that all the Families of the fallen grasp,” said Scoti Domeij, mother of Army Ranger Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij, killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
Colorado Families of fallen military came together May 20, 2016, in the “City of Heroes” to honor their loved ones for a Fallen Heroes Flotilla Lantern Ceremony at the Center for American Values in Pueblo.
During the evening of remembrance and reflection, Colorado Gold Star Families personalized sails in memory of their service members and learned to construct flotillas, small wooden boats designed to carry a candle on a journey of remembrance in honor of their fallen heroes. Crafts in hands, friends and Family members of the fallen then attended a banquet dinner in their honor.
“This ceremony, this dinner, this flotilla, these tangible expressions of remembrance uplifts our hearts,” said Domeij, a Gold Star mother and speaker at the event. “Remembering our sacrifice and honoring our loved ones is a searing reminder that our way of life and the blessings we take for granted as free people come at a very dear cost.”
Maj. Gen. Ryan F. Gonsalves, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, attended the event with his wife, Janet, in a show of support to the surviving Families and the mission of Fort Carson’s Survivor Outreach Services (SOS).
Fort Carson SOS, part of Army Community Service, Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, works to preserve surviving fallen Families’ connection to the Army and Fort Carson, providing services to Families of the fallen since 2009. Fort Carson SOS continues to ensure this connection through various services and special opportunities for fallen Families of all branches of service.
“I don’t think we can technically do enough for our surviving Family members because they are going to live with that pain for a very long time,” said James A. Kilpatrick, coordinator, SOS. “We have a tendency to go on as a culture; we have a tendency to go on as the Army, because that is what they teach us to do; but clearly they live it every day and this is one event we can do to step in and show our gratitude.”
The community has a responsibility to honor its service members, said Kilpatrick, a retired command sergeant major and one of the event coordinators.
Survivors, especially the children, need to understand that they are not alone, nor will they be left behind, and the flotilla ceremony was one way to show how grateful the Fort Carson and Colorado communities are to their service as Family members and their sacrifice, he said.
“Our Families, our surviving Families, deserve every bit of dedication and commitment to be remembered and supported in every way possible and truly never left behind,”
Kilpatrick said to the Families, Soldiers and distinguished guests at the banquet dinner. “Freedom rings only because of the many sacrifices endured. The burning light that will illuminate your flotilla this evening may it be a … lighthouse for the journey of forever remembrance.”
Fort Carson’s SOS chose Pueblo’s Center for American Values because of its historical significance and to host the symbolic event of ongoing remembrance with the hopes of providing enriched appreciation to the Families in attendance, said Kilpatrick.
“With the strong military ties and strong veterans ties, the Home of Heroes, Pueblo, Colorado, has, it is amazing to start to work with Fort Carson a little more and support our service members and their Families,” said Matt Albright, program coordinator, Center for American Values.
Founded by Medal of Honor recipient and Pueblo native, Drew Dix, the center focuses on character and leadership development and was a natural choice to host the symbolic ceremony, said Albright.
“Remembering the guys means a lot to us,” said Charlene Westbrook, who attended the event with her sons, Zachary and Joshua Westbrook. “This is the first time we have attended an event together. This is the first time participating in an event of this nature.
“It is really nice,” said Charlene Westbrook, who painted the sail of her flotilla in honor of her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook, killed in Afghanistan in 2009. “He was a sergeant first class, and he earned every bit of that rank; it wasn’t given to him posthumously. I am very proud of him.”
At dusk, fathers, mothers, spouses, sons and daughters released their lighted crafts, each commemorating the memory of their loved one, into the Arkansas River waters flowing through the Pueblo Riverwalk. Shortly after, Families recovered their flotillas, another keepsake in memory of their loved ones.
“At first I didn’t understand,” said Katie Hamilton, mother of Austin Haney, 8, and Aubrey Haney, 12, whose father, Staff Sgt. Randy Haney was killed in 2009 serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. “I thought it was a great opportunity for the kids to honor their dad and create something from their hearts for him; and so I think it is a really good opportunity to honor all the heroes and the fallen.”
While the departed may no longer be visible, it does not lessen their memory or their place in history, said Domeij.
“Those we loved volunteered to defend, protect and preserve the same liberty paid for by millions of other fallen heroes and veterans,” she said.