BELLEVUE, Ky. — Marty Madden's son, Russell, didn't wear the uniform long. His life was cut short in Afghanistan in 2010. Years later, his father took the fight to honor him home to Bellevue, Kentucky.
This Memorial Day, for the first time, Bellevue's main street is adorned with banners of the fallen — two dozen posts memorializing service members from the community.
"They've never forgotten Russell," Madden said. "They've not just carried him in their head, but in their heart for all these years."
For Madden, the banners are more than a tribute to his son. They represent every service member from Bellevue who made the ultimate sacrifice.
"He's not physically here, but his presence is felt in this city, and I don't think you can get a better tribute than that," Madden said.
Watch: How Madden says families can remember fallen service members
The banners have resonated deeply with other Gold Star families in the community — including those who never expected to see their loved ones recognized this way.
"You know this woman came up and said, now the grandkids are doing research on Wendell, we talk about him at every family gathering," Madden said. "She said you literally brought him back to life for our family."
Madden said the community response has reinforced what he believes is the true meaning of the day, and the responsibility that comes with it.
"You just learn to deal with it, and for the community to understand that concept that these people, whether it was Vietnam, World War II, Korea, whatever it was, those families still hurt, and to see their loved ones up on these signposts on the most prominent street in town and honored, it means the world to them," Madden said.
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His message this Memorial Day extends beyond Bellevue: a call to educate the next generation about the cost of freedom.
"The best way to honor them is to be the type of American that's worth fighting and dying for," Madden said. "We've got five military cemeteries in the state of Kentucky that are nationally ranked higher than Arlington National Cemetery. Take your family and walk amongst these people, and educate your children on what this country is truly about and the sacrifices that are truly made."
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