Park View honors warriors who put 'boots on the ground'

On Thursday, May 25, the Park View Middle School National Junior Honor Society, along with several staff members and Principal Michael Crudale, braved the nasty, rainy weather and walked over to the Boots on the Ground for Heroes memorial, located on the grounds in front of the Temple of Music at Roger Williams Park. The memorial, erected for the past two years in time for the Memorial Day weekend, honors those military men and women who lost their lives just since the September 11, 2001 Twin Towers tragedy in New York City. The display boots, each one with a photograph of the person who sacrificed their life for their country and an American flag, is an emotional display of nearly 7000 boots along with a short story about them.

“It was extremely meaningful for the students for sure,” said Ann Marie Torres. “They were so respectful and very serious while reading all of the stories.”

The display is made possible by Operation Stand Down RI, in conjunction with community volunteers who give of their time, such as the PVMS students who spent their morning not only helping out, but also taking the time to think about the reason for the memorial display and for the holiday itself. The service project took place just one day before the school’s annual Memorial Day ceremony. “When we returned to school we spent time as a group talking about the experience,” said Cara Fitzgerald. “These students really were able to understand the definition of sacrifice. Our cold and wet clothes were nothing compared to the sacrifices of these soldiers.”