Volunteers help display Boots on the Ground in Newport

NEWPORT, R.I. (WLNE) — Volunteers headed to Fort Adams State Park today to set up the full display for Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial.

The memorial will be open May 24, 25, and 26 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Memorial Day, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission and parking are free.

There will be a special ceremony for Rhode Island’s Gold Star Families to place the boots representing their fallen loved ones at 6:30 p.m. on May 24th. 

The Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial was launched by Operation Stand Down in 2015.

The Memorial depicts over 7,000 boots adorned with flags and name placards representing the lives of the U.S. service members killed in action post-9/11 in the Global War on Terror.

5 new boots have been added to the Memorial this year in honor of three soldiers killed in Jordan and two Navy Seals who perished during a mission off the coast of Africa.

“This Memorial is a living tribute honoring the sacrifice that our men and women in uniform make in support of our Nation. The boots featured in this Memorial each represent a U.S. Service Member killed in the more than two decades of conflict known as the Global War on Terror. We think it is an important reminder to the public that the Global War on Terror continues and U.S. Service Members continue to lay down their lives for our Nation’s security,” said Dee DeQuattro, Founder of the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial.

 “Memorial Day is more than a day to barbeque; it is about service, sacrifice, and honoring those who answered the call to duty and gave all,” she said.

In addition to the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial, the event will feature the Invisible Scars of War Monument.

The monument recognizes the pain and sacrifices of military members who have succumbed to the invisible scars of war, such as depression and PTSD, and ultimately committed suicide.