Exactly four years ago this month, the Rhode Island Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Exeter erected a Gold Star Families monument to honor those families who sacrificed a loved one for our freedom. A Gold Star Family signals a family who has lost a loved one during activity-duty military service.
There are estimated to be more than 470,000 Gold Star Families in the United States, representing those who have lost loved ones in conflicts ranging from World War I to present-day operations.
Locally, Operation Stand Down Rhode Island (OSDRI) is a state-wide, independent non-profit organization that is primarily dedicated to preventing homelessness and offering services to at-risk veterans. They offer housing assistance, employment and training, disability claims support and legal assistance to Rhode Islanders who have answered the call to serve our country.
To honor those individuals and families from across the U.S. who have been killed in action or have lost loved ones more recently since the Global War on Terror began in 2001, OSDRI launched the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial in 2016. Since 2019, this free event has been hosted annually at Fort Adams State Park; previously it was held for three years at Roger Williams Park in Providence.
This emotional display of 7,000 combat boots adorned with flags and placards honors the thousands of U.S. service members killed in action during recent times. The combat boots are placed alphabetically and by state alongside monuments recognizing veterans affected by PTSD and the unseen invisible scars of war.
The Memorial will be open to the public all weekend long, beginning today, Friday, and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., and on Memorial Day from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Newport Was Chosen as Ground Zero for The Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial
According to OSDRI Executive Director Erik Wallin, Fort Adams Parade Ground was chosen as the new location given the rich miliary history of the fort itself, and Newport’s appeal as a leading tourism destination. The Memorial has only been displayed once outside of Rhode Island when it was hosted by the New England Patriots Foundation at Gillette Stadium over Veterans Day in 2024.
“Depending on the weather, as many as 3,000 – 5,000 people visit the Memorial in Newport over the course of the 3-day weekend,” Wallin shared. “It takes upwards of 200 volunteers over two days to setup the entire Memorial. We rely heavily on companies and individuals who support OSDRI’s year-round mission.”
As part of this Memorial, where the Fallen represent a 25-year timeframe of those military heroes who have been killed in action as of this year, Wallin shared that 29 Rhode Islanders are honored among the boots and flags displayed, and every year about half of these local Gold Star Families participate in the Memorial tribute.
A Family Who Will Never Forget
One of these Gold Star Families is the Andrade family of Bristol. Tragically, they lost their loved one, Army Specialist Michael Andrade (1975-2003), after he was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On September 24, 2003, a fuel truck struck his company’s Humvee where he was a passenger, and he was immediately killed in the explosion. He was a member of the RI Army National Guard with the 115th Military Police. Michael’s family and friends recall he loved to sing and enjoyed karaoke nights. Andrade was 28.
Army Spc. Andrade’s sister Fatima Andrade Milhomens, of Bristol, has carried the torch to honor her brother. Speaking about Operation Stand Down Rhode Island she shared, “I appreciate and love the fact that the organization honors their lost veterans and the surviving families in this way. They haven’t forgotten us and never will.” She added, referring to OSDRI, “They’ve been wonderful. My family is honored to support their efforts and bring comfort and appreciation to other families.”
Andrade-Milhomens has been active with the OSDRI BOTG event for the last 10 years since they launched, and several years ago she decided to enter a float into the annual Bristol Fourth of July Parade, the country’s oldest, to honor Rhode Island’s Fallen and her brother. For the last three years, Milhomens has won “Best in Show” in this prestigious parade. There is a plaque honoring Army Spc. Andrade situated near the boardwalk at the marina end of State Street in Bristol.
Wallin summed up the feelings that are unspoken by so many people on this particular holiday weekend, “Memorial Day is more than a long weekend; it is a sacred reminder that freedom does not come without great cost and sacrifice. We honor the fallen to ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten and we honor the Gold Star Families who carry the weight of this sacrifice every day, to remind them that a grateful nation mourns along with them.”
As a proud member of a military family, I couldn’t agree more. Together, we salute the Gold Star Families and all who have sacrificed for our freedoms. Hope springs eternal.
Michele Gallagher is an advocate of local businesses, community leaders, and non-profits and is the founder of City-by-the-Sea Communications.
