Idaho community honors Iraq, Afghanistan war dead

John Rogers returned home from Vietnam with no homecoming, no parade and little gratitude. When the Iraq War started after 9/11, he vowed to do everything in his power to honor those coming home from war overseas.

Rogers took it upon himself to personally welcome and thank servicemembers who returned home to his home state of Idaho. When the state suffered its first casualty during the Iraq War, Rogers was devastated.

“We decided we’re going to make sure that these guys have something that their families will remember and the public will see,” Rogers said. “We’re not going to forget these guys.”

For the past 12 years, Rogers’ vision — Field of Heroes in Pocatello — honors the servicemen and women who have died during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Before the unique memorial opened for Memorial Day weekend, Field of Heroes required over 5,000 volunteer hours to set up the 6,832 white wooden crosses in perfectly aligned rows that are intended to be a “mini Arlington.”

Members of American Legion Post 4 in Pocatello assist in the set-up and help visitors find markers and answer their questions. “It’s a labor of love. I really love the way we honor those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Post 4 Commander George “Woody” Woodman said.

Click here to see a video gallery of photos by Bill Schaefer.

Pam Hall, of Burley, Idaho, visits the memorial each year to honor her son and others represented by the crosses. Hall remembers when her 24-year-old son, Curtis, called her April 5, 2007 — her birthday. “I remember telling him how much I loved him, and that I missed him,” she said.

The next day Curtis and two other sailors were killed. “Curtis loved being in the service. He loved helping others,” said Hall, who added that as an explosive ordnance demolition second class, Curtis performed over 300 missions.

She has visited Field of Heroes every year since 2009.

“It was pretty devastating when my son was killed in Iraq,” said Hall, whose husband and oldest son also served in the Navy. “One of my thoughts when he was killed was that I don’t want him forgotten. He was not married and had no children. In my mind, I wanted him to be remembered. And this is a way of remembering him and all of the men and women killed. If you have been to Arlington and seen the crosses, there’s something about that that shows the history and magnitude of all of those people who have died for our freedom. And coming here to see this is my Arlington. There is a reverence with all these crosses. Not just my son’s but everyone’s. And this is a way that he is remembered.”

For Hall, this time of year is when the bond among Gold Star families is particularly notable. “I have become friends with a lot of other mothers who have lost sons in this war," she said. "And as I go down the rows, I visit all the crosses of the ones from Idaho. To walk around the whole thing and to see all the crosses is overwhelming. And to know that each one of those crosses, there is another mother who is suffering along with me.”

Mary and David Breshears of Blackfoot, Idaho, visited the field not just for themselves but also for Gold Star families. Each of the past six years, the Breshears have photographed crosses representing servicemembers of Gold Star families they have met via social media or other remembrance events. This year, they will send photos to 31 families in states such as Florida, Texas, New York, Michigan, Oklahoma and more.

“We come out and take pictures of their crosses and send them back to the families to show them that their sons and daughters are honored and not forgotten,” Mary said, adding that the families “can’t be more appreciative of what we do.”

While some families cannot make the trip to Idaho, the memorial attracts thousands of visitors every year. The guest book usually logs 4,000 names, but the total attendance is usually higher.

From the beginning, Rogers wanted to make sure that people could see the memorial. It is displayed on a soccer field at Century High School, which is adjacent to the interstate highway leading into Pocatello.

Truckers blow their horns as a sign of respect. Curious drivers — from Utah, Oregon, California and elsewhere — stop at the next exit, circle back and visit the field.

When they stop and slowly proceed through the rows, visitors notice that each cross lists the servicemember’s name, branch of service and date of death. And, for the first time this year, the crosses also have a QR code, which visitors can scan and learn more about the servicemember, Woodman said.

Setting up the crosses is a major undertaking, requiring hundreds of volunteers. “We start out with the surveyors who set the center lines, then we send string down the center lines and make sure everything is lined up with markers on both sides,” said Woodman, who estimates he logged 100 volunteer hours from set-up to tear-down.

The precision and lines are important to the reverence of the field. “John wanted visitors to be able to stand at any point in the field and be able to look out and see the lines of crosses, similar to the precision of a national cemetery like Arlington,” said Hiedi Young, who has handled public relations for the event for the past eight years.

“It’s really a healing thing for this generation of veterans. Vietnam has their wall,” she said. “And this kind of resembles the wall in that it speaks to those servicemembers. We get a lot of them who come out here at night when it’s quiet and they can be alone with the crosses.”

In addition to the field of crosses, organizers also pay tribute in other ways. The commemoration kicks off with a dedication on Friday night, followed by flag-folding ceremonies and a USO-like show on other days. On Sunday night, a candlelight vigil honors those suffering from PTSD.

“It was very hard to honor those with PTSD who have either contemplated or committed suicide,” Woodman said. “We wanted to find a way to honor those servicemembers as well. They didn’t die in-country but they did serve their country. And this gives us a way to honor them as well.”

As Pocatello closed its annual tribute to the war dead from Iraq and Afghanistan, whispers emerged about changes to the event.

“There has been talk that the Field of Heroes is not going to carry on. That it will carry on in a different way,” said Hall, who was a school teacher for 27 years. “I believe in educating people. This is a way to educate people in Pocatello, Idaho, like in Arlington. We need the children to see and understand what has happened to our nation and the sacrifice of others so that we can have freedom. What a wonderful thing to be able to educate people about. I don’t want to see it end. Yes, I know they will carry on something but not in this magnitude. We need to keep the legacy alive.”