Welcome to a new web series by Scott Limpus, introducing the community to our local soldiers and their families, only here on MountainReporter.com
RIM Blue Star Moms
“They Will Never Feel Forgotten”
Blue Star Moms and Dads are the parents of active duty sons and daughters serving in the United States Armed Forces. Sometimes that service comes with a sacrifice, and when Blue Star Parents lose their children in combat, they become Gold Star Moms and Dads. Tom McFall is a Gold Star Dad from Running Springs, CA. His son, Thomas Michael McFall, was killed in action on May 28, 2007.
Thomas grew up in Claremont, Glendora, and Riverside, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1994. He attended Basic Training, AIT (Advanced Infantry Training), and Jump School (Air Borne Ranger) at Fort Benning, GA. Thomas completed multiple tours of duty including Korea, Panama, Afghanistan, Hawaii, and Iraq. Between deployments, he was stationed at home bases in Fort Bragg, NC, and Fort Lewis, WA.
Tom was a career soldier and a Squad Leader, (Staff Sargent E-6), in the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade (Stryker Brigade), 2nd Infantry Division. On Memorial Day, 2007, just outside Baghdad, Iraq, Tom was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while leading a dismounted patrol. He did not survive the explosion. Thomas was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroism.
Tom comes from a long line of heroes. Both of his grandfathers served in WWII. His father, step-father, and one uncle served in Vietnam. His brother served in Desert Shield. He has a niece and nephew that are active duty Marines, and another nephew that is active duty Army. Tom’s service with distinction is a strong motivator for each of them.
Tom had wanted to be in the Army since he was about ten years old (although he aspired to be a linebacker in the NFL). He, his brother, and two of their high school friends would take trips out to Ord Mountain, CA, several weekends each summer to drink beer, shoot semi-automatic rifles and handguns, and explore the long-abandoned mines. Little did Tom know then that in just a few years he would be exploring caves in Afghanistan looking for Osama Bin Laden, and depend on these skills for survival.
Tom was a bright light in his unit and truly cared about the people around him. They said that they would never forget their gentle giant. Not once did any of them ever see him mad or discouraged. He always had a positive aura about him. Tom was a great person who opened his heart and home to his fellow soldiers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), especially to those who were away from their homes on the holidays. He was the BBQ king, year around, and ribs were his specialty.
Through the courage, love, laughter, and kindness that he gave so generously, Thomas Michael McFall continues to live on in the hearts and minds of those whose lives he touched.
RIM Blue Star Moms are the patriotic mothers of sons and daughters serving and sacrificing in the United States military. Their children make up the members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army National Guard, Air National Guard and all the associated reserves. RBSMs proudly support the troops in a number of different ways.
One of the most visible tributes by the RIM Blue Star Moms are the banners or service flags hanging above the streets in many mountain communities. Each banner with a blue star represents a member in active duty. A gold star is displayed if a member is killed in action or dies in service. A silver star is displayed for a member who has been wounded or disabled.
The Mountain Reporter would like to show our support for the troops, and their moms that support them, by featuring a different family in a series of biographies about the young men and woman who have ties to the mountain community.
RIP SOLDIER.
DAVE MADDOX, USMC SGT E-5, 74-78