A circle of people dressed in blue forms every Saturday morning at the DuPont Powderworks Park.
The 8 Parmar children continue honoring their father, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Abraham Parmar, who died in 2019. He suffered a brain aneurysm after he was hit by a vehicle during one of his six deployments Made up of Gold Star families, mentors to Gold Star Children, and volunteers, they each recite the name of a fallen hero they’ve not met.
Then they go around again, reciting names of the fallen heroes they are personally there to honor. One name, repeatedly recited, on that second round is Sgt. First Class Abraham Parmar. Abe, as most called him, was married to Jennifer and they have eight children. “He was a heavy-wheeled mechanic in the military, and when he was on a tour in Iraq, he got hit by a truck,” one of his children, 17-year-old Rachel Parmar, told KOMO News. That incident left Parmar with a traumatic brain injury that eventually led to his death in 2019. “He was a good guy. I want to follow in his footsteps,” Rachel added. She does mean that and wants to join the Army to also become a mechanic. Rachel was 12 when Parmar died in 2019. “It was hard to see a lot of people with their dads. And I didn't get it at first. I kind of felt like why did they have one, and why did mine have to die? So, it was a struggle,” she said.“The hardest part is the one not being there and also the fact that I don't have as many memories. So, it's like I have a bunch of these gaps because he was deployed a lot. I was just younger,” 14-year-old Katie told KOMO News. She was nine when her dad died. Parmar had six different deployments. “He gave me a bucket, and I put it on my head, and I ran around calling myself bucket head for a while,” Rebecca recalled. She is now a freshman in college, working toward a degree in Early Childhood Education. “I used to go to the lake all the time with him in the summer,” 12-year-old Timmy told KOMO News. Timmy was seven when his dad died. “It's been really hard. The first two years have been really hard. But I think since I got to meet A.J., things have gotten better,” Timmy said. A.J. Davis is Timmy’s mentor through the Wear Blue: Run to Remember Gold Star Youth Mentorship Program. Founded in Pierce County, they work to protect and continue the legacies of their loved ones lost while maintaining U.S. freedom.“I think he is amazing. He always shows up with a bright attitude and a smile on his face,” Lt. A.J. Davis said of Timmy. He is a Lt. in the Washington Army National Guard. An aviator who flies Chinook helicopters, he now flies that chopper into DuPont PowderWorks Park every year on Memorial Day for the annual Wear Blue: Run to Remember. It’s youth mentorship program is ten weeks long, with mentors and mentees meeting every Saturday to connect, build resilience and work on goal-setting, while also getting in practice runs for Memorial Day. “Nothing you can fill in the gaps, but you can have a clearer, better picture for yourself of everything you've been through and places you want to go. It's a good connection,” Katie said. “I think one of the larger takeaways that I've come across is the importance of verbalizing your goals. It does help make them easier to meet if you say them out loud, discuss them with someone, or just write them down,” John Simpson told KOMO News. Staff Sergeant Simpson is in the Washington Army National Guard 341st Military Intelligence Battalion and is currently Rachel’s mentor. “I mean especially with Mr. John, I feel like he's encouraged me a lot on the way because I have the depressing times of it,” Rachel said. Rachel and four of her siblings are currently matched with mentors. Their three older siblings are now in college, aged out at 18. Like the other mentor matches in this military circle of blue, Timmy and A.J. were meant to be. “I feel comfortable telling him about what I'm feeling and my disappointments. And he always helps me walk through them. He's always there for me,” Timmy said with a big smile. “We'll talk about, you know, this cool fish that he found or, you know, what he's feeling, and things are going on in his life, and it's just a, I think, another outlet,” Davis said. Tears welled up when his mom, Jennifer talked about the courage these young service members must walk along a grieving child. She said they’re not only there for her children during the actual program events, but they also join in on their family celebrations. The connections are so tight that the three older Parmar children remain close to their mentors, who still provide support through the next stage of their lives when their military IDs expire as young adults. “So, that’s kind of where our story will end with the military unless we join ourselves. I will be sad,” Grace said. She’s now a sophomore in college, studying cinematography. “Yeah, I will be too. Our whole life is military, and then it just kinda stops. It's like losing a part of your family all over again,” Rebecca said. Right now, they work hard to maintain that connection to their late father, visiting his unit at Joint Base Lewis McChord every summer, to deliver popsicles and other treats, to make sure those service members know they are appreciated. “Yeah, we’re known as the 'popsicle people.' We get to hear a lot of the stories of the younger soldiers who heard my dad’s story told through other soldiers, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you were Abbe’s daughter?’ Yeah, and they’re like, ‘Oh, we heard so much good stuff about him,’ Grace said. Just one more reason the Gold Star Youth Mentorship program keeps their dad’s legacy and memories alive while creating new ones. “I had heard about it after I came back from flight school and went to my unit here on JBLM, and they had put out a request for mentors, and it seemed like a really good way to not only give back and serve the community because I'm originally from Dupont,” Davis explained. “They wanna get to know the parent just as much as you do. So they want to know the memories, the good times and the bad times, the messy,” Grace said.
Home Of The Brave Fallen Heroes Local Sgt. First Class Abraham Parmar Memorial Day Gold Star Families Root Mentorship Program Military Youth Mentorship Dupont Powderworks Park Newsletter Daily
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