The soldiers of Fort Campbell, Kentucky are an integral part of their community. Lowe’s associates in the region – along the Kentucky/Tennessee border – are friends and neighbors with the men and women in uniform – and that includes the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), commonly known as the “Night Stalkers.”
“They’re in here every day,” said Bryce Bagwell, manager of a Lowe’s in Clarksville, Tennessee, of the Fort Campbell soldiers. “They’re instantly recognizable. They shop our stores in uniform and I’d say 75 to 80% of our employees either served or have family members who serve. So, interacting with military personnel is a big part of our day.”
While most military postings last for 24 to 36 months, the average stint for a Night Stalker at Fort Campbell is six to eight years. These soldiers become family. And when a member of the family is killed in the line of duty, it’s a loss felt by the entire community.
The unimaginable happened last September during a helicopter training exercise in San Clemente, California. “A fatal crash claimed the lives of two extraordinary servicemen,” said Tom Mattingly, Jr., Quartermaster of the veterans’ nonprofit Night Stalker Association and a retired member of the 160th who’s been part of the unit for 26 years.
“Those of us who serve don’t think on the daily about how hazardous our job can become,” Mattingly said. “We go about our daily routines just as anyone else goes about their job. We just accept the fact that things can go very wrong. It’s a subconscious thing for us.”
The two fallen soldiers, along with 141 other fallen Night Stalkers, were memorialized on the 160th SOAR Remembrance Trail at Fort Campbell. Created in 2008, the 160th Remembrance Trail honors Night Stalkers killed, both in and out of the line of duty, and also provides a peaceful place for reflection, solace and recreation for family and friends.
A natural partnership
Mattingly marveled at the organic way such a big project came about. “Nathan [Clark] and Bryce came to the 160th facilities – we call it our compound – for a different purpose. They asked me for a briefing – in my capacity as an unofficial regiment historian – on our memorial wall, which is akin to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. On that wall are the names of 99 volunteer Night Stalkers who’ve perished in the line of duty since 1980. But our conversation took a turn.”
“They said they were looking for a Heroes Project to undertake,” Mattingly continued. “And I told them the Night Stalker Association had been talking for months about renovating the Remembrance Trail. Fundraising was our first hurdle. I knew we needed a significant amount – something like $20,000. And Nathan said – without batting an eye – ‘We’ve got this.’”
Heroes in our midst
Military personnel worked alongside Lowe’s associates, as part of Lowe’s Heroes program, from Nov. 16 through 20 to “honor the fallen by cleaning up and upgrading portions of the 160th SOAR Remembrance Trail,” according to the Nov. 27, 2020 Fort Campbell Courier.
It was an effort that brought together, on any given day for a week, about 120 volunteers from the base, Lowe’s and the community. “Local landscapers donated equipment, a rock quarry donated loads and loads of gravel to redo the trails, and local restaurants donated food to feed all the volunteers throughout the week,” Bagwell said.
The Lowe’s team removed debris, cut tree limbs, spread gravel, installed landscape lighting and repaired a bridge on the trail.
That’s not all. Lowe’s donated the funds to replace old memorial plaques on the Remembrance Trail with permanent granite markers.
Mattingly told the Courier, “Lowe’s has contributed employee volunteers, thousands of dollars of equipment and all the materials for the project … in just over four weeks, we’ve gone from zero to hero.”
The Lowe’s Heroes program allocates funds to Lowe’s stores for a community project that teammates complete together. Clark told the Courier, “Fort Campbell is very dear to our community” and called the project the best he’d ever been involved with.
Richard Moss, Lowe’s district manager of Region 6, agreed: “I’ve been a part of many Heroes Projects, but this one was, by far, the most meaningful to the community and the stores.”
He gives a lot of credit to Nathan Clark, store manager of the Clarksville Madison Street Lowe’s, who spearheaded the effort. Clark led a team of more than 100 associates from 12 area stores.
Lowe’s didn’t stop with the trail and plaques. There was a much less public effort to provide for the grieving families of the two soldiers killed. Moss called the private effort a “byproduct of the Heroes project.”
A small gesture for the ultimate sacrifice
“Military families are selfless,” Bagwell said. “Even when they’ve gone through something like this, they don’t want assistance. They’re not seeking anything. But when the plan for renovating the trail came up, we said we wanted to help on a personal level, too. We were able to replace old appliances and provide them with some power tools.”
Many of the soldiers and their families worked side-by-side with Lowe’s associates on the project. Military heroes met everyday heroes. “The project gave us a glimpse of this highly trained and secretive special operations unit,” Bagwell said. “They opened their doors to us, they allowed us to come in and be part of a memorial service and celebration of these lives. It was very special for us.”
The effort was noticed by elected officials. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Rep. Mark Green and Tennessee State Rep. Jason Hodges all contacted Lowe’s to commend the company on the project.
“Word traveled around about what we did,” said Bagwell. “And weeks afterwards, we’d have customers tell us and how appreciative they were to Lowe’s.”
