Gold Star Families gathered Dec. 1 at the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Hall of Heroes to celebrate the season with the inaugural Survivor Holiday Dinner.
Army Community Service-Survivor Outreach Services, or ACS-SOS, organized the event, which included a buffet, live music, photos with Santa Claus and activities for children.
“The purpose of the Survivor Holiday Dinner is to keep survivors connected to their Army Families for as long as they wish,” said Christina Comer, program manager, ACS-SOS. “There were 143 survivors and 38 senior leaders and spouses who attended the event and who shared stories of their fallen.”
Comer said the idea for the dinner came from a meet-and-greet that Col. Andrew Q. Jordan, Fort Campbell garrison commander, hosted with survivors shortly after taking command June 2021.
“I wanted to replicate that same type of environment, but with a holiday theme because sometimes the holidays are hard for our survivors,” Comer said. “We wanted to find a unique way to embrace our survivors so they can feel that warmth from our command.”
Jordan said the dinner is part of the installation’s larger commitment to Gold Star and surviving Family members and supporting them has been a personal mission throughout his Army career.
“They say that a Soldier never dies as long as we continue to say his or her name, and Fort Campbell SOS and all the units that are represented here today are dedicated to continuing that,” he said. “They’re dedicated to ensuring that your loved one is never forgotten.”
Gold Star Families who attended appreciated the chance to fellowship with one another, and to see support from people across the community.
“This is the one club that nobody ever wanted to be a part of, but once you are part of it there’s a love you feel from everyone that’s hard to explain,” said Sonja Johnson, whose husband Command Sgt. Maj. Andre M. Johnson died in 2013. “If it hadn’t been for SOS, I don’t think I would still be here … just the fact that they did this means a lot, that they care about us enough to bring us all together so we can celebrate with one another as a big Family.”
Tori Hercules, whose husband Spc. Russell Shane Hercules Jr. was killed in Afghanistan 13 years ago, said she was happy to attend the dinner and hopes to see more events organized for Gold Star and surviving Family members on post.
“Being here is mostly for my children, so they can see that they’re not alone,” Hercules said. “There are other children here who have lost their parents or Family members, and it’s good to get everybody together because once you’re in a situation like this you automatically become a Family. We all grieve in different ways, but we all relate to each other.”
SOS also brought in Lance Carpenter, Becca Rae Greene and Austin Williams, all Nashville-based country musicians, to perform and make the evening more memorable.
“It was wonderful to be here,” Carpenter said, noting that his grandfathers both served in the military. “Every crowd is special to a singer, otherwise nobody would hear our words. But to be with a group of folks like this makes it a little extra special. They’ve obviously been through some painful things, and that’s why they’re here. But music is healing, and if this puts one little glimmer of a smile on their faces during tough times that’s a pleasure to be a part of.”
Greene, a long-time Army spouse said she feels a personal connection to survivors and wanted to continue her history of supporting the military community.
“I’ve lived on seven different Army bases, so performing at Army events is natural for me,” she said. “I know some Gold Star Families, and any time I can do something to help or support them I’m in. Losing a service member is the worst thing ever, so being able to bring a little joy to some of these kiddos and the spouses is important because the holiday season in general is very hard.”
Williams felt the same way, and said he was excited to have been invited to perform for the Gold Star and surviving Families.
“This is really special, and it’s an honor,” Williams said. “It means a lot to me to be here because both of my grandfathers served … I’ve been around a lot of military Families, so coming out to support this cause was something I really wanted to do.”
Support from the community was a major part of the event, and Comer said it was especially important to bring Gold Star and surviving Family members together with the Soldiers who served alongside their loved ones.
“Even if there was only one connection between a survivor and his or her fallen Soldier’s unit, I would consider that to be successful,” she said. “Part of our purpose is to ensure our survivors have [that] connection … so that whenever the units plan an event, they can reach out and invite the survivors, send them holiday cards or mail them letters when there’s a change of command. What a wonderful way to start communicating with Survivors. Keeping them informed is a big part of keeping them connected to the Army Family.”
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