BEEBE — This weekend is one of the most patriotic weekends of the year. With fireworks bursting in air and everything decorated with red, white and blue, there is no doubt that America is on people’s minds.
In Beebe, amid the celebration and the festivities of the Independence Day holiday, there will be a special opportunity to reflect and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States.
The Arkansas Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial will be on display at First Baptist Church of Beebe through Friday. The memorial stands in recognition of 142 soldiers from Arkansas who have died since Sept. 11, 2001.
The traveling memorial was founded by Rob Hopper of Wynne to honor his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Chase Hopper, who died Jan. 26, 2005, in western Iraq after his helicopter crashed. The memorial is a part of Arkansas Run for the Fallen, a nonprofit that aims to raise awareness for Arkansas military-service members who have died in active duty since 9/11. Arkansas Run for the Fallen also coordinates a 146-mile run from Ozark to the state Capitol each year.
“For the folks that are involved, it’s not just something we do,” volunteer Jeff Roland said. “It’s a way of life for us, to honor our heroes this way.”
The display was originally going to be set up on the campus of Arkansas State University-Beebe, but the memorial had to be moved to First Baptist Church of Beebe for logistical reasons. Roland, a maintenance worker at ASU-Beebe, has been involved with Arkansas Run for the Fallen and the Arkansas Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial since 2010. He said he is excited to bring the memorial to Beebe this year and is thankful for the faculty of ASU-Beebe for being supportive of the project.
“On March 25, 2009, I lost a cousin to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) suicide. He came home off his last tour and could not adjust,” Roland said. “I wanted to get involved to give back and honor him. The next year is when I met Bubba Beason. He started Arkansas Run for the Fallen.
“Two years ago, Rob Hopper’s son was killed, and [Rob] started the memorial. A group of us basically volunteered to take it off his hands when his health prevented him from running it anymore.”
Roland said the memorial has 142 flags and 142 markers, each one for a soldier from Arkansas. There are also pictures and short biographies of the soldiers.
The memorial has been to all four corners of the state, Roland said, and communities can request the memorial throughout the year. There are six people who are part of the core group that moves the memorial from place to place, and Roland said they see it as an honor to travel with and erect the memorial.
“It’s a passion for all of us,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hot, and it’s hard to get the stakes in the ground, but that is nothing compared to the sacrifice of these heroes. … Every day, we try to say somebody’s name to make sure they’re never forgotten.”
The memorial will be lit 24 hours a day, and Roland said it is especially moving at night.
“If you get a chance to look at it at night, it’s a totally different atmosphere,” he said. “I don’t know what it is about seeing it at night. It will reach out and grab you.”
The Arkansas Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial is on display at First Baptist Church of Beebe, 101 U.S. 64. The memorial will remain up through Friday.
To learn more about the heroes who are honored through the Arkansas Fallen Heroes Traveling Memorial or to learn how to donate to or volunteer for the project, visit www.arkansasrunforthefallen.org.