River Nimmo spent most of his short life fighting cancer, finally passing away in his mother’s arms at age five. River, who went by “Oakley,” dreamed of a life in the military as an “Army man,” dressing in camouflage and playing with toy guns on his better days. Following the announcement of his passing, Oakley’s family appealed to members of the military to attend their son’s funeral.
Soon after, the Nimmo’s request went viral, attracting the attention of online group U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments which states their mission as, “We strive to be positive members of the military community, past and present, by raising awareness of needs or events.” Their Facebook page, which frequently post alerts to their online community to honor members of the military that have passed away, currently has over 1.2 million followers. After seeing the Nimmo’s request to honor their son, a call for attendance went out.
Dozens of uniformed military, both acting and retired, turned up to honor young Oakley in Arkansas on Tuesday. A tweet from a local news reporter in attendance said, “No shortage of uniformed military members on hand for the funeral of Oakley Nimmo – the five-year-old who dreamed of being an ‘army man’ who lost his battle with cancer last week.”
No shortage of uniformed military members on hand for the funeral of Oakley Nimmo – the five-year-old who dreamed of being an “army man” who lost his battle with cancer last week. (Photo: Karen Bailey) @KATVNews #ARNews pic.twitter.com/af65RWc1uL
— Matt Mershon (@MattMershonKATV) June 25, 2019
The robust attendance of service members touched by Oakley’s passion sparked further honor from the Arkansas National Guard who bestowed on him the honorary title of Colonel with the duty title of ARMY MAN. The certificate was signed by Maj. Gen. Mark H. Berry, the Adjutant General of the State of Arkansas, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Commander-in-Chief of the Arkansas National Guard. The message ends with a tribute to the young colonel, “On behalf of the men and women of the Arkansas National Guard, rest in peace little buddy. To River’s family, you’re in our thoughts and prayers.”
Flags 4 Fallen, described on their Facebook page as “a volunteer team that recruits runners to carry USA Flags to the finish line, for families who’ve lost someone too soon” has vowed to carry a flag for Oakley in the near future.
