KUNA, Idaho — A flag carried from the sky opened the John Borbonus Memorial Golf Tournament at Falcon Crest Golf Club in Kuna on Tuesday — the birthday of the fallen Army soldier the event honors every year.
Skydive Skydown performed the aerial tribute for Army Specialist John Borbonus, who was killed in Iraq at 19 years old. Several of the men who gathered at the tournament served alongside him.
WATCH: A tribute from the sky honors fallen Boise soldier John Borbonus, who was just 19 when he was killed in Iraq
One of those men, fellow skydiver Chris Galt, described the day Borbonus was killed. Galt said their unit had taken a high-value target back to a small patrol base when a group of fighters arrived and attacked.
"Reports vary. It's like 8 to 12, you know, people come in, [sic] small arms fire, and then a dump truck with some explosives in it rammed through the gate that we had, and John shot him, and kind of stopped the dump truck just short of where all of us were," recalled Galt of the fateful day.
Galt said the blast caused buildings to collapse and killed several people, but Borbonus' actions prevented greater loss of life.
"But ultimately, he saved us. If that dump truck would have came in just, you know, just a few more feet— yeah, we all would have been toast," Galt said.
Galt still feels the weight of that day.
"So we've had to do a few of these [memorials], and they all hurt. But obviously, this one means a lot because I was directly involved and saved by his actions," added Galt.
Another attendee reflected on what the tournament means to those who served with Borbonus.
"This is a day of healing. It's like a year's worth of therapy for us, and we really appreciate you guys having us out here," he said.
A fellow soldier also spoke to the lasting impact Borbonus left on those who knew him.
"John is with me in my heart every day that I'm blessed to have breath in my lungs," he said. "John saved my life."
This year's tournament featured a display honoring Borbonus' life and service, made possible with help from the Warhawk Air Museum.
"This has been about a month-long project that we wanted to honor John Borbonus, and then getting it out here this morning, 5:30 in the morning, to transport it, put everything back together so that we can honor John at this important event," Warhawk Air Museum Executive Director Carson Spear said.
The skydive was led in part by Jay Stokes, a Boise native, skydiving legend, and 24-year Army veteran with nearly 30,000 jumps to his name.
"You get old because you quit jumping. You don't stop jumping because you get old," Stokes said.
Stokes said carrying the flag required careful preparation and mental focus.
"What if the flag drops? What if the flag doesn't lower? What if, what if you have a malfunction? So all those things are going through your head in about the space of 10 seconds, and then it comes out OK and everything's good," explained Stokes.
The John Borbonus Memorial Golf Tournament is held annually on Borbonus' birthday, May 12th.
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