Never forget.

On January 2, 2026, the 22^nd anniversary of the day U.S. Army pilot Captain Kimberly Hampton was killed when her OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter was shot down in Iraq, citizens gathered at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Park at the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley to remember. They came to pay their respects and to let it be known that they will never forget.

Stephen Goshorn, a member of the Mauldin American Legion Post and the organization Vets Helping Vets Greenville, organized a ceremony in which he played “Taps” on his bugle at sunset. Prior to the start of the ceremony, he spoke with The Pickens County Chronicle and said that he wanted to do it as a tribute to her.

At 5:30 p.m., he welcomed everyone to the ceremony, saying, “Thank you for coming today, lest we forget the ultimate sacrifice.”

He asked if anyone would wish to volunteer to open the ceremony with prayer, and Easley Mayor Lisa Talbert did so. “Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for people in our community and in our nation and in our city that are willing to serve and willing to sacrifice. We are grateful to enjoy blessings that we enjoy because of people willing to serve. We thank you for the sacrifice of Captain Hampton and all like her. Father, bless this memorial to her and keep us as we go, always remembering to be grateful for those who served. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Goshorn then asked Kelly Leis, also a member of Vets Helping Vets Greenville, to lead in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.

Goshorn then asked for a moment of remembrance.

Jenni Thompson, of Pickens, and a member of Upstate Symphonic Winds, then performed ceremonial ruffles on the drum.

Goshorn played “Taps” on the bugle, and called out, “Veterans, hand salute. Order, arms.”

Kimberly’s mother, Ann Hampton, attended the ceremony. Ann’s husband and Kimberly’s father, Dale Hampton, was unable to attend due to illness. As the ceremony concluded, Ann came forward and told all in attendance, “Thank you so much for being here.” She then thanked Jim Garrison, who spearheaded Operation Dragonfly and the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Park, which was dedicated on March 2, 2020. “Jim Garrison, Operation Dragonfly, once again, I am in awe of this wonderful tribute to my daughter and to all veterans. This is for all of you. Thank you for coming today. You all know freedom is not free. Thank you.”

Garrison had placed flowers for Kimberly at the Memorial site, as he does for each Memorial Day and for each anniversary of Kimberly’s death. Ann Hampton called the flowers “a wonderful tribute” and added, “And Kimberly loved live flowers.”

Congresswoman Lieutenant Colonel Sheri Biggs spoke to Kimberly’s mother after the ceremony and presented her with a challenge coin. “I’m an Aero Vac Nurse,” she said. “I wanted you to have that, and I’ll be praying for you, as a Mom. I know this is hard, but what an amazing tribute to your daughter.”

Hampton told The Pickens County Chronicle that she appreciated those who came out for the ceremony and appreciated that, after 22 years, Kimberly is still being honored. “She’s Easley’s girl,” she said. “She loved Easley, loved home.” When Arlington National Cemetery was offered as a burial site, Ann recalled that they said, “No, we’ve got to bring her home. She wanted to come home.”

Jim Garrison shared with The Pickens County Chronicle his thoughts about the significance of remembering the anniversary of Kimberly’s passing. “It’s important to remember Captain Hampton’s sacrifice, because it made the Iraq conflict hit home. She was one of our own. Freedom is not free.”

Congresswoman Sheri Biggs also spoke with The Pickens County Chronicle. “Veterans are always a priority to me,” she said, adding that, as a female and as a member of the military, serving in the Air Guard, she wanted to be present for the ceremony. “What a tremendous impact she has had on our community,” Biggs said of Captain Hampton, “and I just felt like, out of respect for her, out of respect for our veterans and our military, I wanted to be here for Captain Hampton.”

Joyce Hansel, Regent of the local Fort Prince George Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), also attended the ceremony. “It is a privilege to be able to honor and remember Captain Kimberly Hampton of Easley on the anniversary of her sacrifice in Iraq,” she told The Pickens County Chronicle. “We must never forget the sacrifice of those that have gone before us that have worked to keep us free. We will continue to honor her each year at this special ceremony.”

Captain Hampton was a 1994 graduate of Easley High School. She was the first female military pilot to be shot down and killed by enemy fire, but her mother said, in an interview with this writer in January of 2004, that Kimberly preferred to be considered a soldier and a pilot who happened to be female. “She felt that, given the opportunities, within reason, she could do anything anyone else could do,” Ann Hampton said. When she was in third grade, Kimberly had written for a school assignment that she wanted “to fly like a bird.” Her father, Dale, told this writer in January of 2004, “Be free and independent were the qualities she was referring to, and that was what she ended up doing.”

Twenty two years later, her fellow citizens continue to honor the memory of Kimberly Hampton, a daughter and a war hero, and continue to honor her family, as well. We Americans can never repay the debt we owe to those who sacrifice for our freedom.