When James Riney’s mother took him shopping for new bedding to outfit his room in their new house, the 4-year-old considered a few options: first sharks, then dinosaurs, then comic book superheroes. He passed on all three.
“Can we do superheroes like my daddy?” James asked.
Sgt. Douglas Riney, 26, was shot and killed by a suspected Taliban infiltrator in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. James barely remembers him, his mother Kylie Riney said, but his awe for him and others who have served in uniform has been shaped by memorials and ceremonies he’s attended since his father was killed.
Earlier this month, she put out a call on social media for uniform patches she hopes to use to decorate his room to honor such people. So far, one package of patches has arrived, she told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday, shortly after popular Facebook page “U.S. Army WTF! Moments” shared her request.
James, who can pinpoint his father in photos around the house, plays hero nearly every day with his sister Elea, who will turn 6 the day after the second anniversary of their father’s death.
They don whatever gear is on hand. A green “junior zookeeper” vest with cargo pockets, a toy construction helmet and rain boots have served as proxies for kiddie combat gear. They go on patrol hunting down the family dogs.
In the bathroom one night, the 4-year-old placed rain boots on a neon pink stool in front of the sink, a toy rifle pinched between their little rubber soles and a helmet in front of them — a child’s version of the battlefield cross that has become a familiar symbol of Americans killed in far-flung conflicts.
He was already asleep when his mother discovered it, and she left it up until morning, when she asked why he’d put it there.
“For my daddy in heaven,” he replied.