A soldier who wore his favorite boots on deployments and hundreds of formations until they fell apart secretly refurbished them for his stepson to wear at his police graduation.
Jay Hilton, 46, from Ruston, Louisiana, enlisted in the United States Army National Guard in May 2000, before going full time in 2006, and serving multiple deployments to the Middle East.
Throughout this journey, a pair of trusty boots he purchased in 2001 had been on his feet – wearing them until the sole separated from the leather.
When he had to buy new boots he couldn’t bear throwing the first pair out, so he put them in an old ruck sack and stored them in a locker.
So years later, when his stepson, Garrett Madden, 24, was about to fulfil his dream of graduating and becoming a law enforcement officer, Jay wanted to step up.
One day at the dinner table, Garrett mentioned he would be getting his dress uniform, and asked Jay if he had any boots he could borrow.
It was at this point Jay said, “I might have an old pair of boots somewhere,” knowing full well the significance of the pair he had in mind.
For the next two weeks, Jay worked on repairing the boots, in a process that wife Charlette captured on video.
Want more good news? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter - Smileworthy. It's a weekly 5-minute read packed with uplifting stories, positive news and tips for living life more Happily. Oh, and it's free! https://smileworthy.beehiiv.com/subscribe
As Garrett then crossed the stage at North Delta Police Academy, West Monroe, Louisiana, he proudly wore his stepfathers’ boots – but that wasn’t all, as he later wore the boots to propose.
Jay has since retired from the military as an E7, Sergeant First Class after 24 years of service while Garrett continues to wear the boots as part of his formal police uniform.
Charlette said: “Those boots now have new stories that they will pass on to future generations.
“The boots saw hundreds of formations, meetings, promotions, they saw successes and failures, good days and days from hell, they saw heartbreak, they saw bonds of brotherhood formed that some of us will never know or understand.
“Most importantly they saw a wild young private turn into a squared away non-commissioned officer.
“He wore the boots until the sole separated from the leather.
“Now they are a symbol of how much he loves this young stepson.
“And they are a symbol of how very proud he is that he had the courage and determination to forge his own path and become the man he was meant to be.”
