The war may be over, but for thise who lost loved ones, the pain still remains. Since the war began on March 19, 2003, over 100,000 soldiers have died in combat. Roosevelt graduate, Adam Hamilton served his country for three years until the fatal day of May 27, 2011 when he was killed in action in Afghanistan.

“He always had a smile on and always wanted to help, but was always clowning and making everyone happy,” Shawney Hamilton, sister of Hamilton, said.

The city of Kent mourned along with the Hamilton family. Following the funeral and a memorial service at the RHS football stadium, the Hamilton family decided to give back.

“Everyone’s reaction and how much the community reached out and how the school reached out to my family and how they remember him really surprised me. (Senior) Alex Rios was there every day with me,” Hamilton said.

Dealing with grief and the loss can take a long time to overcome, but the Hamilton family started to give back right away by starting a scholarship fund, funding new uniforms for the football team, and new warm-ups for the field hockey and ice hockey teams.

In return to the generous donations from the Hamilton family, Roosevelt retired Hamilton’s football and ice hockey number to remember his contributions to the team and to honor of his life spent at Roosevelt High School.

“A month ago an old assistant coach had a banner made that is hanging up at the hockey rink,” said Hamilton.

Grief is always a packaged deal when losing a loved one, but it is always about how you handle it that creates character. The Hamilton family showed tremendous character in how they dealt with the loss of Adam Hamilton. Shawney reminds us to “do things, keep yourself occupied and remember the good times.”

“I tried to keep my mind off of the fact that he was gone, and I always had to be doing something. I didn’t like to just sit at home and to this day I just have to be doing something so I don’t think about it,” Hamilton said.