Thousands of boots and flags filled the field at Gillette Stadium Saturday in honor of veterans.
The field at Gillette Stadium was transformed into a memorial for veterans on Saturday.
This Veterans Day, the home of the Patriots hosted the Boots on the Ground for Heroes event.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
>Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
More than 7,000 boots sat on the field, paying tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Each boot held a flag with a name and photo of a U.S. service member who died in the war on terror after 9/11.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our >News Headlines newsletter.
"To have this memorial for all these veterans, it means a lot to everyone and their families," said Army veteran Ian Rollins.
He came to the event honor his friend, Sgt. First Class Jared Monti, who died in 2006 serving in Afghanistan.
"Jared Monti was a kind soul would do anything for everybody and anybody," Rollins said. "He really just jumped on a grenade and took his own life to save his own teammates. You can't say anything else about that."
Betty Crawford knows that pain all too well after losing her son, Specalist Stephen Fortunato, in Afghanistan in 2008.
She says Fortunato died along with two others that day after they ran over an IED.
"Ot still doesn't feel real sometimes," she said. "It's been 15 years, but it still doesn't feel like that to me. I think of him all the time."
She says seeing the memorial is a reminder of all the others whose lives are bound by the sorrow and the sacrifice they share as gold star families.
The memorial will be open to the public again on Sunday 9 a.m. to noon.
