Fort Hood families gather to remember children lost during pregnancy and infancy

For some families, the loss of a child is something they carry quietly. It’s a grief that doesn’t always show, and one that can be difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it.
Families gathered on Oct. 19 at Sadowski Field at Fort Hood for Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center’s annual Walk to Remember, an opportunity to honor the children they lost during pregnancy or infancy and spend time with others who understand that kind of loss.
For one attendee, who asked to remain anonymous, the Walk to Remember held special meaning after experiencing several miscarriages.
She said events like this matter because they show families that their loss is recognized and that their children are not forgotten.
“For someone like me, it’s important because a miscarriage is like losing a baby,” she said.
When asked what she would tell someone who had experienced a similar loss but had never attended the event, she encouraged them to come.
“It can help you find some closure and share your feelings with someone who has gone through the same thing,” she said.
During the ceremony, Col. Mark Jacques, commander, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, recognized the lasting grief families experience and the importance of ensuring they do not have to face it alone.
October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, established in 1988 when President Ronald Reagan called on the nation to recognize families grieving the loss of a child.
Jacques acknowledged that while CRDAMC physicians, nurses, and midwives welcome many healthy babies into the world each month, the loss of even one child leaves a lasting impact on the families and the healthcare team members who care for them. He emphasized the hospital’s commitment to standing alongside grieving families and remembering the children whose lives, however brief, forever changed their loved ones.
CRDAMC Chaplain, Maj. Benjamin Ahn, offered words of comfort, using the butterfly as a symbol of transformation and hope.
“Butterflies remind us that life doesn’t end after death; it simply takes another form,” Ahn said. “Our loved one has simply moved from a body capable of pain to one that is free. I pray that we can be encouraged with these words.”
The benediction was followed by the reading of the children’s names, with a bell rung for each name.
Families then walked the route and released their butterflies. The event was a reminder that every child remembered had a family who loved them and that even the briefest life can leave a lasting place in someone’s heart.

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