Blue walk honors fallen hero

SANDPOINT — When she learned of her son-in-law's death in Afghanistan, Sara Gilmore felt compelled to do something to honor him. It didn't take long before she knew what she wanted to do.

An unofficial Wear Blue: Run To Remember event will honor Staff Sgt. Matthew McClintock, a soldier killed in action in the Marjah District of Afghanistan on Jan. 5. He was the first soldier killed in action in 2016.

The run/walk event will start at City Beach on Saturday at noon. The event will occur snow or shine, and participants do not have to take the Sand Creek Trail all the way to Ponderay, unless they choose to.

Gilmore is organizing the walk. She said she is not a runner and plans to walk the path to Ponderay in any weather because soldiers don't get to pick their assignments or forecasts. She said this is a small way she can honor the fallen hero.

"Our soldiers don't get a chance to not work because of weather," Gilmore said.

Gilmore said there are two official Wear Blue events in the Seattle area on Saturday in honor of McClintock, and Alexandra, her daughter, will attend one of those. The walk is unofficial, but Wear Blue officials know about and gave the OK for the event. Participants are encouraged to wear blue in remembrance of fallen soldiers. Names can also be pinned to shirts of those that are being remembered.

"My goal is just visibility and commemorating," Gilmore said. "I know several families affected as I have been."

Gilmore said if there is enough interest in the Wear Blue: run to remember event, then she would work to organize a local chapter. She said everybody has known a soldier, and many have had significant losses.

"I felt frustrated not being able to do anything at all," Gilmore said. "I think it is a neat way for people who have service members in their family to participate. They are remembered."  

Alexandra was married to McClintock for about three years and they have a 3-month-old son Declan. Gilmore said her daughter received an anniversary card on Monday from her husband, which he had sent prior to his passing, showing he appreciated his family at home. She said he lived a short life, but got to do the things he wanted the most and that was be a Green Beret, a husband and be a dad.

"Getting that card was pretty hard," Gilmore said.

A New Mexico native, McClintock, 30, was KIA when his unit came under small-arms fire. There are services being planned, however, they will be delayed until his unit returns Feb. 20. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in April or May, Gilmore said. 

McClintock joined the Army right out of high school in 2007. He had no desire to go to college, much to his mother's dismay, Gilmore said. He spent four years in the Army before joining the Washington National Guard, as a special operations Green Beret. She said he also returned to school and earned a degree.

According to The Washington Post, two other soldiers were wounded during the attack, as were an unknown number of Afghan special forces soldiers. McClintock was part of Alpha Company of 1st Battalion, 19th Group, a National Guard Special Forces unit from Fort Lewis, Wash. Units like his were training local military and fighting alongside them in what is known as "Foreign Internal Defense." The Post reports that although U.S. led combat operations ended in 2014, there are still small groups of special forces units that continue to operate with Afghan forces in a mentoring role.

Gilmore said a soldier in McClintock's unit called Alexandra, conveying his condolences. He told her the McClintock's last words in response to them going out into battle was, "That's what we do."

"They knew it was a hot bed when they went in," Gilmore said. "He died doing what he wanted to be doing."