This is the third part of Fox News Digital’s “Freedom Isn’t Free” series honoring America’s fallen heroes.
Gold Star’s father Jim McCallum: “Start[ed] After his son was killed in Afghanistan, he said he was “pursuing what really matters in life.”
U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Riley J. McCollum was killed in action along with 12 other U.S. soldiers at then-Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021. Riley was 20 years old and leaves behind a wife and unborn daughter.
For Gold Star Fathers, the phrase “freedom isn’t free” means sacrifice.
“Sacrifice. It all comes down to sacrifice … 20 years of this war. 248 years of this country. All the sacrifices that have been made to give us the freedom, to allow us to have what we have and do what we can. We are indebted to so many people,” McCallum said.
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McCollum added, “I always think of the Stars and Stripes and Taps. Whenever I see or hear that flag, it brings a tear to my eye. I can’t do that anymore. I’ve always had a lot of respect for the Stars and Stripes and love what it represents, but the Stars and Stripes has definitely taken on a whole new meaning.”
U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Riley J. McCollum was killed in action on August 26, 2021. (Jim McCallum)
A native of Wyoming, Riley was a lifelong wrestler and “history buff.”
“One of the fun things we always said was, even at wrestling meets or with his coaches, he was having conversations with adults at 7, 8, 9 years old,” McCollum said of Riley’s dedication to the Marines from a young age.
“He never thought, ‘I wish I could be a Marine,’ or ‘I want to be a Marine,’ he was adamant, ‘I’m going to be a Marine,’ and on his 18th birthday, like a lot of other kids, he signed up,” McCallum added.
“He never thought, ‘I wish I could be a Marine,’ or ‘I want to be a Marine.’ He was adamant, ‘I’m going to be a Marine.’ And like a lot of kids on their 18th birthday, he signed up.”
Riley graduated from high school and departed for Camp Pendleton in 2019, where he met his wife, Gigi Clayton, while completing boot camp. The two were married on Valentine’s Day in 2021.
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“I believe he was supposed to deploy in April, but COVID-19 delayed it,” McCollum said. “That worked to Riley’s advantage. He was newly married, had a baby on the way, and had housing at Camp Pendleton.”
“Riley was Riley and he could be irresponsible at times, so we made fun of him a little bit. But to see him take the courage to become a man and take care of his wife and newborn baby… “I couldn’t be more proud of the path he’s taken and how much he’s grown,” McCollum said.
When Riley McCollum (left) was killed in action in August 2021, he left behind his biological family, his Gold Star wife, Gigi, and their unborn child. (Jim McCallum)
Riley first deployed to Jordan in April 2021 as part of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. McCollum recalled what gave him peace of mind at the time. “I was paying more attention to that little green dot on the messenger because he was usually talking to his wife and as long as I could see that little green dot, I was OK.”
After President Biden announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Reilly deployed to the conflict country to support humanitarian efforts evacuating American citizens and refugees at Kabul airport.
Recalling that fateful day, McCollum said, “As the information began to emerge, I think I was trying to convince my daughters and to convince myself that there was no way this boy from Wyoming could be in Kabul, Afghanistan. Statistically, it was impossible.”
Marine Corporal Riley McCollum enlisted in 2019 after graduating from high school. (Jim McCallum)
“I kept telling my kids, no news is good news — I hate that phrase now, but they always say no news is good news — ‘all is well.’ And it worked fine until 3:30 a.m., when two Marines were standing at my doorstep, and then everything changed,” McCallum recalled.
His daughter, Levi Riley Rose McCollum, was born at Camp Pendleton Hospital on September 17, 2021, approximately three weeks after her father’s death. Corporal McCollum is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Purple Heart and the War on Terrorism Service Medal.
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“We may have lost a son, but we gained a family,” McCollum said, reflecting on the community he built with the 13 Gold Star families who died that day.
