Rain fell as photos of 16 fallen soldiers were placed with American flags on the stage at City Park Sunday.
Despite the downpour, a large crowd showed up to pay tribune to the 15 Marines and one Navy corpsman who were killed in the crash of a C-130 aircraft near Itta Bena recently. Children and adults painted Stars of Hope, which will be displayed near the crash site at a memorial and in the hometowns of the soldiers who died in the Delta soybean field.
A short program preceded the painting, led by organizer Carlton Thornhill, founder of Hearts of Hope. Thornhill was joined by co-hosts for the event Lacey Montgomery and Liza Simmons Zimmerman, who both spoke and introduced others who were part of the brief ceremony.
“I just got back from Indiana and my husband is preparing to deploy,” Zimmerman said. “It will be his sixth deployment. As we come together to pray for the families of these servicemen and send them our hopes, prayers and Stars of Hope, I wanted to touch on how important it is in a community to have the support as a military family. I cannot tell you how much it means to have community support. Keep praying for these families, keep supporting them and keep hanging these stars. If you know military families, reach out to them and keep them in your prayers.”
Montgomery then introduced Katrina Watts, who sang the National Anthem as the crowd faced the flag in the center of the park. After the song, Thornhill and Zimmerman read the names of those killed in the crash. Mark Rogers then played Taps on trumpet before the Rev. Eddie Hampton.
“We thank you, God, for their lives; for these heroes,” he said.
Thornhill then shared the story of his visit to the crash site in Leflore County.
“Last Sunday, Stephanie Guidroz and I took a trip up to the crash site,” he said. “We put out Stars of Hope stars that were painted by survivors from Manchester, England, Orlando, Fla., children of officers that were shot in Dallas, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La., children that were gunned down at Sand Hook Elementary and the fires in San Bernadino. We had stars from all of those places.”
Thornhill continued to share the story of the trip to the field off U.S. 82, where the plane came to rest.
“We drove up not knowing any of the facts or what it was going to look like,” he said. “It was pretty much what I had pictured in my head. There were two crash sites, one on the left side of the highway and one on the right side. You can’t get close because they are still investigating. It’s somber and surreal. It’s a soybean field with a tent on both sides of the road. We’re hoping that when we get these stars that you are going to make today, we will be able to get closer. We are supposed to be a part of the permanent memorial that the governor has said he wants to have set up there in Leflore County.”
Thornhill said he was determined that Stars of Hope would appear at the crash site.
“This happened in our state and it happened before in my hometown of Columbia,” he said. “Everybody knows that Mississippi is the most giving state in the nation. What everybody is now finding out is that Columbia is the most giving city in our state and nation. Stars of Hope, which comes out of New York, was born after 9-11, from a child who wanted to do something positive after such a catastrophe. He wanted to make life just a little better, add a little hope and a little healing. The importance of this is a very simple thing, but it has a profound effect.”
Thornhill said it is his hope that people remember the crash scene and think of the lives lost.
“When we went up there, it was tents and state police,” he said. “Now, it is tents, state police and Stars of Hope. We want children in passing vehicles driving by to see a brightly colored star or a word of encouragement. This is very important. We’re the only city in the nation doing this and we’re doing it for this particular event in our nation’s history. I want you to understand how important this is.”
The painting session Sunday almost didn’t happen, according to Thornhill.
“I stayed at home Friday waiting for a UPS delivery,” he said. “I sat in my car in the driveway waiting. I was waiting, and UPS never came, which meant I didn’t have any stars for today. They weren’t going to deliver again until Monday. So I went home and called one of my friends in New York. He said, ‘No problem.’ The guy that is the head of this, Jeff Parness, said, ‘That’s OK, I’m going to hop on a plane. I’ve got about 200 stars here.’ He got on a plane Saturday and flew here last night. I took him to dinner and he left this morning and we have our 200 stars. That’s how important this is to him. He did not go to work in the World Trade Center that day. It has been a curse and a blessing, he said. It was his son, Evan that started this. He wanted to make a difference when these things happen.”
When the Dec. 23, 2014, EF-3 tornado struck Columbia, Stars of Hope came to Columbia.
“We had a day where we painted them and started adding them around Columbia to add that hope and healing,” he said. “Because if you are not giving, if you don’t give of your time to help other people, you cannot get through loss, no matter what the loss or what the tragedy. That’s why we have this today. That’s why we’ve worked so hard today and y’all are braving the heat and the rain today. It is very important.”
Thornhill said he was pleased with the turnout and touched by the stars produced.
“I want to thank everyone for coming out,” he concluded. “It is a blessing for our community. We were one of a kind here. You don’t see a long line of cities behind us trying to do what we’re doing. We’re it and we’re setting an example.”
Pictured Above: Children create Stars of Hope last Sunday during an event held at City Park. The stars will be heading to the spot in Leflore County where a C-130 aircraft crashed killing 16 soliders. Stars will also be sent to the hometowns of the soldiers. | Photo by Mark Rogers
