Cpl Kory Wiens and his specialized search dog, Cooper

“Wiens Street was named after Kory”, Kevin explains as we begin chatting. “There are ten houses on the street so I contacted each resident and gave them each one of my handmade wooden stars that I make to honor Kory.”

Kevin notes that he has been involved with some peculiar – yet heart-warming situations, since his son Kory was killed. “We’ve been invited to several naming ceremonies. Kory and Cooper have a stretch of highway, a dog park at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs and two streets in Oregon named after them. And there is the Kory Wiens Memorial Veterinary Center at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, where Kory was stationed. People are very kind and like to make a fuss. Of course, I’d rather not have any of it and just have Kory here with us.”

Kevin lives in a small holding in Oregon and, since he retired from driving trucks two years ago, has dedicated his time to his talent of woodworking, which has become a poignant and practical way for him to honor Kory.

The Wiens family have a history of military service which started long before Kory enlisted, as Kevin explains…

Family History

“My dad – Duane – was a scout dog handler in Korea”, recalls Kevin. “We have lots of photos of him and his dog, Chris, who looked like a real badass. My dad died when I was 15 but I wish I’d had more time to ask him about his service and what it was like over in Korea. It felt kind of poetic when Kory called me and told me that he was going to be a dog handler.”

Kevin recounts his childhood as being a rural idyll, living on their family 300-acre farm with a menagerie of animals and heavy farm machinery. “I was bailing hay and driving tractors after school and on weekends. My friends living in the suburbs were always envious.

“Living that rural life made me want the same for my children, but as a single dad, I raised my three sons mostly in a mobile home park in town. We always had animals though – mostly cats. We had a cat named Spooky we found along the road one Halloween night and after he passed away, I found a little yellow kitten driving on that same road. We named Mazie because at the time, both Kory and Kyle both had Mazda pickups.

“When my grandparents died in 2003, the family farm was divided up. I inherited five acres which my son Kyle now lives on with his family. They have goats, calves and chickens, so they are plenty busy.”

Kevin has three sons, Kevin Jr, Kory and Kyle and one daughter, Lindsay.

 “I love that a sense of being at peace with animals and nature bled into all of my children. That was certainly true of Kory, too.”

Kory in Iraq

Service and Pickups

Kory joined the US Army age 18, in 2005, with the aim of being in the Military Police. “Kory always loved animals so when he called to say he’d been given the chance to train as a dog handler, I wasn’t surprised at all. Animals were a huge part of Kory’s childhood. He was such a kind boy – to animals and people. He was very gentle and calm which drew animals to him.”

But when Kory introduced his chosen dog to his dad, Kevin was skeptical. “I had Chris – my dad’s dog – in my mind. So huge and strong and so able to protect dad from the bad guys. Cooper was this bouncy yellow lab… How was he going to protect my boy if things broke bad? But as Kory explained Cooper’s talents to me, I was amazed.”

Kory and Cooper in Iraq

Iraq

Kory’s older brother Kevin Jr had also joined the US Army and had already served one tour of Iraq with the Military Police. “It became clear very quickly that my two sons would be deploying at the same time, which was going to be tough and of course, double the worry.”

Kory and Cooper had spent several months training with the Specialized Search Dog (SSD) Program: A DoD initiative that was a direct response to the threats that troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were facing at the hands of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“Kory was confident in his training and trusted Cooper implicitly. They were ready to go”, Kevin recalls.

Kory would speak with his dad as much as he could. “We would chit chat about things at home and how he and Cooper were doing. Kory completely adored him – you could tell their bond was strong.”

A couple of months into their deployment, Animal Planet came out and spent time with Kory and Cooper – discussing their role in the war effort and how Cooper’s nose was saving lives. “He was all excited about it. It was kind of fun to have a camera man follow them around for a couple of days. The piece never appeared but Kory was really pleased with the photos.”

Kevin recalls the last time he spoke with Kory. “I’d not heard from Kory for a couple of months and had sent an email to his superior, Danielle Roach, a few days earlier to ask how things were going. When Kory called, I was driving my mixer truck and we quickly fell into a natural rhythm of conversation. Cooper was front and center of Kory’s news, as always.”

A selection of Kevin's hand painted stars

Knock

“It was evening time when the knock on my door came. Two representatives from the Army came with a local chaplain to deliver the news and first off, visited my neighbor, who is also my cousin. She knew what was coming so called my aunt who came straight to my house.

“When they arrived, my dog China was going mad, barking and fussing, so we all had to wait for her to calm down before they could speak. In those moments, I stood staring at them, not knowing which of my sons had been killed. I don’t remember much of what followed.”

Kevin’s aunt and uncle drove him to Salem to find Kory’s younger brother, Kyle. “He was a security guard for the same company I worked for and was assigned to the graveyard shift. I wanted to take him home to tell him the news about Kory before he heard it on the radio.

“My uncle spent that night at my house and then my ex-wife stayed with me for a few days. People didn’t want me to be alone.”

Kory at home

Home

A week later, Kory and Cooper, accompanied by Kory’s big brother Kevin Jr, flew home to Corvallis Airport – a small private airport about 20 miles from Dallas, Oregon. “I was presented with Kory’s ashes at the airport and we planned a procession through some of the key towns and areas in Kory’s life. We drove past Albany High School where he graduated, then through Independence and Monmouth where he was at elementary school. We planned the route to finish up at the funeral home in Dallas.

“We dropped Kory and Cooper’s ashes at the funeral home who offered to mix them together and split for us so we could bury some at our family plot at Salt Creek Cemetery and take some home.

“Kory and Cooper were buried in the same grave as his grandfather – my dad.”

Kevin created a small memorial plot in his garden at home too. “There had been a mix-up with the gravestones and two were made, so the funeral home gave us one, which I placed in my garden along with a flagpole that a neighbor had given me after Kory died. I planted the American flag in red, white and blue flowers and we had a couple of other plaques that had been gifted to us that lay in place too.

“I’ve never been much of a grave visitor but I always take flowers from my rose garden to cemetery on Memorial Day and before my Cooper passed away in the spring last year, I would take him with me too. My ritual has changed over the last few years – I now make three of my wooden stars and leave them on the grave. One for Kory, one for my dad and one for Cooper.”

Gold Star

After 16 years without Kory, Kevin reflects on his grief and picking up the reluctant mantle of being a Gold Star dad. “There have been so many outpourings of genuine feeling from people I don’t know, once they find out my son was killed in action serving our country. Losing a son leaves a yawning hole in your heart and in your life. We’re in this exclusive ‘club’ that nobody wants to be a member of, as a Gold Star family.

“I do things to stay positive, which helps. The love I’ve had from my stars has been a real comfort. The memorials and ceremonies we’ve been invited to have really built on Kory and Cooper’s legacy. It’s neat to think that in 100 years from now, people will still be saying Kory’s name. They’ll be able to read their story and learn about their service.”

One of the many ways that Kory and Cooper’s story was immortalized, was in the pages the book Top Dog, by Maria Goodavage. The book follows fellow SSD Lucca, who served in the Marine Corps with her handler (and US War Dogs president), Chris Willingham. The two dog teams served closely when they were stationed together out of Forward Operating Base Murray – in Iraq’s Arab Jabour region, southeast of Bahgdad. Lucca and Cooper became firm friends and loved to play together inside the base between missions.

“It took me several months to read the book”, recalls Kevin. “A copy was donated to the local library and I had leafed through the copy Maria had sent to me. When I brought myself to read it, the part about Lucca and Cooper’s friendship really stood out to me. I decided to send Cooper’s stuff to Chris, to give to Lucca: His beloved football and his working vest. I figured that Lucca might miss Cooper and would appreciate being able to sniff him again.”

Cooper’s Legacy

A short time after Kory and Cooper died, Kevin began investigating getting a yellow Labrador of his own. “We got Kitty Dog in September 2007– two months after Kory died. My son Kyle also got a lab at the same time so we could breed them. Kitty had six boy puppies and I kept one – a yellow lab who I called Cooper. He lived for 13 years and was my closest friend. His companionship helped me to understand the love that Kory had for his Cooper. It made me feel closer to him.

“Cooper loved sleeping on his back and snuggling up to me. I have a real soft spot for back-sleeping dogs!”

Kitty Dog had two more litters – the second were all boys and the third, all girls. Kevin planned on keeping one of her pups, who he named Kat, but while the pups were small, one of the other girls had a fall. “She broke her leg so I decided to keep her and we ended up developing a really close bond. We called her Kaedublue – a play on our initials, KW. She was so sweet – and a back sleeper – so we were great friends!

“I eventually gave Kaedublue to another local Gold Star family and they loved her so much. Last year, she developed bone cancer in the leg she had broken as a puppy and sadly had to be put to sleep.”

Having added another two puppies from Kitty Dog’s final litter to his home, Kevin decided to breed from Kat with a black lab belonging to a friend he worked with. Her first litter was a big one – ten pups with an even split of boys and girls; black and yellow.

 “They were kind of a memorial litter of sorts. I reached out to a few people who had played a significant part in Kory’s life to offer them a puppy so that they could feel the love of a yellow lab too.”

One of the pups went to live with Chris Willingham and his family. A new Labrador companion for Lucca, until she passed away in January 2018. Chris named his puppy Murray, after the FOB that he and Kory were stationed at in Iraq.

One of the other recipients of the litter was Maria Goodavage – author of Top Dog and someone who has become a trusted friend to both Chris and Kevin. 

The Star Guy

Celestial Comfort 

Woodworking had long been a source of relaxation for Kevin, who worked long hours on the road. “It gave me a chance to clear my mind and focus on something else entirely”, he explains. Kevin’s first brush with the stars came while married to his ex-wife, who was an antiques dealer. They would drive all over the country, visiting fayres and markets. Kevin recalls: “We went to an antique mall that was selling these beautiful five-point, 3-D wooden stars. I instantly fell in love with them. That was over 20 years ago.”

“I started out over 35 years ago, making furniture – Adirondack patio chairs, picnic tables and potting benches, along with the odd dog crate, here and there.”

When Kory and Cooper were killed, Kevin started making boxes shaped like dog paws. “For Kory’s tenth ‘angel-versary’, I made around 30 boxes and gave them out to some of Kory’s friend at a gathering we organized at the memorial garden at my house.

“Making the boxes gave me a purpose and something to focus on, especially around that decade anniversary of losing Kory. But I couldn’t stop thinking about those beautiful wooden stars, so I decided to learn how to make them. It felt a little like my woodworking destiny.”

Kevin explains that the intricate angles and detail make the stars difficult to make, so his first few attempts were a little rough. “Some of the early ones are still kicking around. I gave them out to close friends and I think Kevin Jr still has one.

“In reality, it took several years to really perfect the technique but once I had it, I was off and running. I can make several at a time and as I don’t like waste, I’ll use the offcuts to make smaller stars. I’ve even started making macrame beads from the smallest offcuts, so absolutely nothing is lost.”

Making stars out of barnwood has not only become Kevin’s living, but it has also become a type of catharsis that connects him to Kory. “I get to design stars with different motifs and designs and make large and small stars, depending on what the customer wants. I’ve sold well over 100 of my stars on my Etsy shop and love making batches to take to Christmas bazaars. I enjoy the interaction with people and would love to go across the country with my stars, visiting different markets and events.

“I’ve been lucky that people have responded so well to my designs and I love working with customers who have a vision for a design or color scheme. I’ve made pumpkin stars and stars with a Christmas theme, but the most popular are definitely those featuring the American flag. Since I started selling my stars on Etsy, I love the feedback I’ve been getting from customers. It’s become a hugely satisfying pastime and it helps my income a little too.

“I have been very fortunate to make stars to gift to veterans (who always receive an American flag star), Gold Star families and cancer survivors. I’m a Gold Star dad and the fact that I can make something that embodies that, for people to keep and cherish, is not lost on me. It’s my therapy – it brings me a sense of calm and a way to honor Kory.”

Kevin’s talents as ‘Star Guy’ have proven very popular and social media has helped to spread the word about his unique and beautiful designs. Kevin said: “I’ve had customers purchase my stars from 33 states but I’d like to hit all 50 and make it a national venture, I’d like to sell my stars abroad someday too.”

Kevin donated two of his stars to auction off at US War Dogs’ K-9 Veterans Day fundraising event in Washington D.C earlier this year. His lots raised over $600 for our mission. “That one really shocked me”, Kevin said. “I couldn’t believe that people were bidding such high amounts for my work. It felt really good to help raise that much money.”

Kevin knows that the power of his and Kory’s story makes his creations more than just wall art or festive decorations. “Many people are so eager to support Gold Star families however they can. I know that lots of people will read our story and feel moved to purchase a star from me because of it. I think they feel a sort of solidarity with me and for the sons we’ve lost. I think it’s a delicate, potent kind of support. The kind that gives you hope and keeps you moving forward, even on the darkest days.”

To support Kevin the ‘Star Guy’ and purchase one of his stars from, visit his Etsy store or ‘like’ his page on Facebook.