- April 19, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Cathy Heighter vowed to always remember her son, who was killed when he was just 22 while serving in the Army, in Baghdad, in 2003. Today, Heighter, a Palm Coast resident, says, “He knows that I’m keeping my promise to remember him.”
There are three names etched into the black granite monument, which pays tribute to fallen military at Palm Coast’s Heroes Memorial Park. This week, two more names will be added to the list.
The names of U.S. Army Spc. Raheen Tyson Heighter and U.S. Army Sgt. Lukas T. Stanford join the names of U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael George Heiser, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. John T. Schmidt III and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Zachary J. Walters on the memorial dedicated to local heroes who died in the line of duty.
ARMY SPC. HEIGHTER
Heighter was a 22-year-old infantryman when he was killed north of Baghdad on July 24, 2003, when his convoy came under fire. He grew up on Long Island and joined the Army in June 2001, serving with the 101st Airborne, Second Battalion, 320th Field Artillery.
Following her son’s death, Cathy Heighter spearheaded a movement to increase death benefits for members of the Armed Forces. Specialist Heighter was the first solider from Long Island killed in Iraq, and his death, along with his mother’s fight for the death benefit bill, got a lot of local media attention. That, and a need to get out of New York brought Cathy Heighter to Palm Coast in 2005.
“I became so well known in Long Island,” she said. “Whenever anyone saw me, it was almost as if they felt sorry for me. I wanted to do whatever it took to remember my son, but not be in pain.”
Having her son’s name added to the monument in Palm Coast, is another way to remember him.
“My son — he would be so honored and so happy just knowing that a part of him is going to be here in Florida now,” Heighter said, as she sat in the conference room at Coldwell Banker. Her gold star was pinned to her blue shirt, and a photo of her son sat on the table in front of her. “Seeing his name go up on that wall — it’s very dear to me, because I made a promise to him immediately after I found out he was killed in Iraq, and that was to always remember him and for him to never be forgotten.”
ARMY SGT. STANFORD
Remembering is what U.S Army Veteran Tim Stanford said the monument and Memorial Day is all about.
“It’s not a happy day,” he said, still feeling the sting of the death of his only son. “People are ignorant.”
Sgt. Stanford died in the line of duty Oct. 4, 2008, in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2004. In January 2006, his unit deployed to Tal Afar, Iraq, and eight months later moved south to Ramadi until the end of the deployment in February 2007. Upon his return from Iraq, Lukas Stanford re-enlisted and was serving as a member of 911th Engineering Company (technical rescue), formerly the Military District of Washington. The unit was re-designated on Sept. 11, 2006, as the 911th Engineering Company in memory of its historic role in the rescue and recovery effort after the 9/11 attacks.
Tim Stanford and his family relocated from South Florida to Palm Coast in 2010 after receiving a job offer. Having his son’s name added to the memorial in Palm Coast means that his family no longer has to travel to Miami on days of remembrance.
“Now I feel that we can honor him closer to our home, and other people can come for generations to come and get educated on the true cost of war,” he said, while sitting in his Palm Coast home. A yard sign honoring his son had been mysteriously removed and then replaced in 2013. Today, the sign is once again positioned close to the front door, visible from the living room.
The hope of the Stanford family is that the adding of these two names on the monument is a reminder of the war and the people fighting it.
TEACHING THE FUTURE
To help educate the future generation, Tim Stanford will speak to his daughter Emma’s first-grade class at Bunnell Elementary School. Students will plant a “heroes tree” and surround the tree with American flags.
“We’re not going to change or educate the present or past, but if we can educate the future — that’s what we want to do within the community,” Stanford said.
Since moving to Palm Coast, Heighter has not stopped fighting for the rights of veterans. She established the nonprofit organization, Remembering Vets, and is very active in several veterans organizations, including acting as president of the Volusia chapter of American Gold Star Mothers.
“I think that it’s very important not only for the community, but for the American people to not take our freedom for granted,” she said. “Somebody paid a price. It’s not just about my son, it’s about all of our veterans. We owe them a debt that we can never repay.”
REMEMBERING ON MEMORIAL DAY
PALM COAST
The city of Palm Coast will have a public Memorial Day Ceremony 8 a.m. at Heroes Memorial Park, 2860 Palm Coast Parkway NW. There will be an unveiling of two names added to the memorial. Guest speakers will be Commandant Jack Marshall, of Marine Corps League Detachment 876, Cmdr. Ronald Stark, of Palm Coast Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8696, and Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts. The presentation of colors will be done by Ancient City Pipes & Drums and the Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard. Palm Coast resident Mary Giraulo will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In case of rain, the program will be moved to Palm Coast Fire Station 21, 9 Corporate Drive.
FLAGLER COUNTY
Flagler County’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25, in front of the Government Services Building at 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Bunnell. It will feature retired U.S. Marine Col. Jack Howell as the guest speaker. Howell is also the president and CEO of Teens-in-Flight, which provides flight training and aviation maintenance scholarships to those teens who have lost a parent or sibling in the Global War on Terrorism, or is the teen or sibling of a parent who is disabled after being wounded in action.
FLAGLER BEACH
The city of Flagler Beach will hold a Memorial Day Tribute 1 p.m. Monday, May 25, at Veterans Park, at State Road A1A ad State Road 100, Flagler Beach. The tribute will feature retired Army Brig. Gen. Holsey A. Moorman as guest speaker. Carla Jestes will sing the national anthem, and the colors will be presented by the Flagler Palm Coast High School Air Force JROTC.
