A Walk of Valor for fallen soldiers

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Bricks line the Walk of Valor in Richmond Hill to honor the memory of fallen soldiers.

Sgt. First Class Zapfe was killed last June during his third tour of duty in Iraq.

RICHMOND HILL, GA (WTOC) - One by one, 11 Third ID soldiers names ring out in JF Gregory Park in Richmond Hill. One of those names brings smiles and tears, to the Zapfe family. "It seems like yesterday," Coneitha Zapfe said sadly.

It's an emotional day for Coneitha and her three children, 10-year-old Anastasia, 6-year-old Cameron and 3-year-old Spencer. Fort Stewart was home for them and Sgt. First Class William Zapfe for 12 years. On Wednesday after the ceremony, the family left for their new home in Kentucky. But they wanted one last chance to remember their husband and father.

"He was my number one hero," Anastasia sobbed.

Sgt. First Class Zapfe was killed last June during his third tour of duty in Iraq.

Just as trees line Warriors Walk at Fort Stewart, bricks line the Walk of Valor in Richmond Hill. It's a way to honor the memory of those soldiers who walked ahead, in order to secure our freedom.

Their names will immortalized in these bricks. It's also a place for the Zapfe children to always remember their father. "It will be a place for them to come back and know that's their father's name. And what it represents, his honor," explained Coneitha.

Sgt. Benjamin Wilson, a Third ID soldier, was with Sgt. First Class Zapfe when he died. It's the first chance he's gotten to pay his respects to the family and his friend. "It's a good honor. It means a lot," he said. "He deserves it, definitely deserves this."

To the Zapfe's, it means their husband and father still lives on. "To us, daddy is still deployed, isn't he?" Coneitha asked her daughter. "He's just deployed to heaven."

Two hundred bricks now mark sacred ground for the brave men and women who gave their own lives. The Richmond Hill Exchange Club honored the 11 Third ID soldiers on Wednesday during a special ceremony. They hope to buy more bricks in the future and make this an annual event.

WTOC's General Manager Bill Cathcart, was the honorary speaker at the event.

Reported by: Melanie A. Ruberti, mruberti@wtoc.com