 | | Waterbury
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| Forrest John Waterbury was a normal kid who liked skateboards and Transformers, his mother said.
One time, when he was in the first grade, he fell off his skateboard and broke both of his arms.
But that didn't deter him, said his mother, Barbara. He got right back on his skateboard, and the casts on his broken arms were red and blue - the colors of the Transformers.
Later, as a young man out of school, John Waterbury couldn't figure out what he wanted to do with his life, so his mom and dad advised that he consider the military.
Waterbury balked. The military wasn't for him, his mom said.
But he joined and fell in love with the Army.
He eventually gave his life for the Army and his comrades.
Tuesday, the community gave something back to him and his family.
The son they remembered as a boy and young man died March 14, 2007, fighting in the Iraq War. Tuesday, he was honored by having his name placed on a street in George Park in Richmond. Waterbury's parents hope other communities across he country will also consider placing the names of fallen military personnel on street signs and public landmarks as a way to honor those who fought for the country and to educate people about their service.
By having their names on signs and landmarks, their names will be spoken every day, she said, and her goal is “to have their names remembered every single day, so they will never be forgotten.”
Army Spec. Waterbury was the son of Steve and Barbara Waterbury of Richmond. Steve is assistant police chief of the Richmond Police Department.
Waterbury, 25, died while on patrol in the Al Anbar province west of Baghdad, the Herald reported last year. A full military service for Waterbury was held in late March in Wamego, Kan., where Waterbury lived for the five years preceding his death. He left behind a wife, Christi, and a stepson, Wesley Michaud. A memorial service was held in Richmond and in Fort Stewart, Ga., the location of the unit where Waterbury was assigned for his third tour of duty, the Herald reported last year.
Richmond City Commissioner Bill Dostal said Tuesday's event was neither a memorial service nor a celebration.
“Today, the city of Richmond is honoring a local hero,” Dostal said.
Dostal provided some details, explaining that John Waterbury finished a patrol in a hostile area and was getting out of a tank when his fellow soldiers were attacked by a sniper. John Waterbury was killed by a sniper.
“The city of Richmond has decided to be the first in what will hopefully become a national tradition of honoring these fallen soldiers by naming a street after them in their hometowns,” Dostal said, explaining that Barbara Waterbury has started a campaign to try to get hometowns to honor their fallen sons and daughters.
Barbara Waterbury then spoke in front of the sign, which intersects Collins Road in front of a Little League baseball field. The sign reads “Spc FJ Waterbury Dr” and has a picture of a Purple Heart.
“I feel that these brave individuals should always be remembered,” she said. “Today, we are renaming this street to forever honor and remember John.”
Placing John's name on a street near a sports and fitness complex is an appropriate place because so many families and children will see the name of Waterbury and will naturally remember and wonder about the name on the sign, his parents said.
“Children will ask their parents who Specialist F. John Waterbury is and why his name is on the sign. With pride, they can tell them of the brave soldier who died for their freedom and laid down his life for his fellow soldiers,” Barbara said, her voice breaking. “John will forever be a landmark in this community. The community of Richmond grieves over the loss of one of their own and felt the need to show their commitment to never forget the memory of our son. And to all you who have worked in renaming this street, we thank you.”
She added that other cities will follow Richmond's lead, and she said she and her husband are planning a Web site in which other communities across the nation can submit their loved ones' stories and videos of ceremonies in which they honor their soldiers by renaming their streets.
Waterbury was a 1999 graduate of Terry High School who played percussion in the band for a couple of years, said Terry band director Tim Taylor.
“He was a funny-type kid,” Taylor said, remembering Waterbury as one who had a good sense of humor but was not necessarily a class clown.
According to the Herald from a March 2007 story, Waterbury's parents first learned of their son's heroism during his funeral service in Wamego.
During a 2005 incident in Iraq, the lieutenant in John's convoy was shot during an ambush on the convoy. John used his weapon to put down suppression fire to provide cover. When John ran out of ammunition, he ran more than 100 yards through enemy fire back to his sergeant's HumVee to grab another 600-round clip. He reloaded his weapon and continued covering the lieutenant and the sergeant until they could move the wounded man out of harm's way - all under enemy fire.
On the day he died, John's unit was returning from a shift in Ramadi and came under attack. John was the only member of the unit to die.
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