Boots on the Ground memorial at Gillette Stadium honors 7,026 fallen service members
FOXBORO - The Patriots may be in Germany this weekend to face the Colts, but the field inside Gillette Stadium is still filled with patriots. The turf is playing home to the boots of more than 7,000 service men and women who lost their lives fighting terror post 9/11.
The Boots on the Ground for Heroes memorial began in 2016 in Rhode Island. In seven years, it has yet to leave the state until now. It spent time at Roger Williams Park in Providence and at Fort Adams in Newport. There are 7,026 boots in total. Each one has a flag and a name placard.
"What we want to do is to bring more people to see it, and to see what selfless service actually means," said Dee Dequattro, the Founder of the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial. "All veterans sacrifice, but these veterans paid the ultimate sacrifice."
Three rows up and twelve boots in you will find the boot of Pat Tillman. The former Arizona Cardinal put his NFL career on hold to join the Army. He lost his life fighting in Afghanistan.
"Pat Tillman is iconic because of who he was, and what he chose to do. But he is the same as everyone else out there, and that is the important thing people need to remember," Dequattro said. "These are people with their own stories, their own accomplishments, and their own things they gave up."
On Friday morning, Gold Star families came to Gillette to place roses inside their loved one's boots.
"There are 7,205 other families who have suffered the same loss," said Lynn St. Germain Lundh. Her son has a boot on the field.
"Every time you see one of those [roses] it means someone came by to see that boot, so that is pretty significant. Whether that be a battle buddy, a friend, a colleague, or a family member," said Dequattro.
The memorial is open throughout the weekend for people to come observe. It is free to the public.