FORT BRAGG, N.C. — When friends, family and fellow service members gathered on Thursday at Fort Bragg to pay tribute to a dozen Army special operations soldiers killed in the line of duty in the past year, among them were some repeat visitors.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew McClintock was killed in action in early 2016, but his wife Alexandra is committed to returning to North Carolina every year, to be a comforting shoulder for the families seeing their loved ones’ names for the first time on a memorial wall at Army Special Operations Command headquarters.
“It’s beautiful and tragic,” she told Army Times. “It’s an amazing reunion of the biggest family, for the worst reasons.”
USASOC’s annual ceremony honors fallen soldiers from its command element as well as Special Forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 106th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
“I feel like a roller coaster,” Alexandra McClintock said. “Sometimes when I’m here, for some minutes, I feel like I am rock solid, and I’ve got it, and I’m just trying to be a good example for the new people that are coming in here. I want them to see that they can live through it.”
After names are read and honors are rendered, guests are invited to spend a few moments lingering over their loved ones’ names etched into a long memorial wall.
“And then I get up to the wall and, suddenly, I’m seeing his name for the first time all over again,” Alexandra McClintock said.
Thursday’s ceremony honored a dozen fallen soldiers, to include two Green Berets and two other special operations soldiers killed during an ambush in Niger, as well as a Green Beret who was allegedly killed by Navy SEALs while deployed to Mali.
RELATED
Sgt. Cameron Thomas, a 23-year-old Ranger killed in 2017, was celebrated by his parents, eight of his 11 siblings and five of his nieces and nephews.
“He accomplished a lot in his short time,” Heather Thomas said of her son’s high school dream of joining the regiment. “When he decided to be a sniper, I was a little against that. He wanted to go on one last mission with the [Rangers] as a sniper.”
He had a feeling he would die young, his parents said.
“He always said he would rather go this way than die in a car accident or die of a drug overdose,” Andre Thomas said of his son.
Though they may not be able to make the memorial every year, the Thomas family said they plan to stay involved.
“In some form or manner, we do want to do our part in continuing the legacy of the Gold Star families,” Andre said.
RELATED
McClintock still lives in the Tacoma, Washington, home where she and her husband planned to raise their son, who is now 2 years old, but she will make the trek back to North Carolina.
“Every year, as long as I can,” she said. “Until I can’t physically do it anymore.”
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
