A Tender Image on U.S. Army's 2012 Photo of the Year List

A tender image of a toddler looking up at an inscription of the U.S. Soldier’s Creed is featured among the U.S. Army’s 2012 Photos of the Year.

It stands out among the gallery of soldiers in faraway places. It was taken in Cupertino’s Memorial Park and has a chance at being the Photo of the Year.

The little boy is Kim Monack’s grandson, Eddy Monack, whose father, Franklin, is stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

Little Eddy, 1-1/2 years old, and his mom, Trisha, were visiting and joined Kim Monack while she dropped off her other son Tommy, a student at De Anza College. 

Tommy Monack, also an Army vet, suggested they visit the soldier's memorial in the park. Kim, an avid photographer, took this photo.

Going through her photos taken of the day, this one stood out, and she decided to post it on her Facebook account. People started sharing it and it “started going kind of viral.” She sent it to the Army, and it started appearing more and more in her Facebook news feed, not because she was posting it, but because others were sharing it.

“The innocence of a child looking at a statement that means so much to so many,” Monack said.

At first Monack didn’t think it would be right for her to encourage voting, since many of the other photos in the running were taken by soldiers.

“I have a heart for soldiers, I need to let one of them win … I don’t want to take anything away from these soldiers in combat,” Monack says. “But then one of my sons said, ‘You’re an Army mom of three, you deserve it, too.’”

Now she wants it, and we can help her get that win.

To vote for Monack's photo you need to be signed in to your Facebook or Twitter account and go tohttp://www.army.mil/yearinphotos/2012/october.html.

Scroll down to Monack’s photo, which is the second one down—a black and white photo—and click “like” on the right-hand side under the photo and under where it says “Download Hi-Res.”

The deadline is Jan. 31, when voting ends.

Kim Monack attended Garden Gate Elementary School for a few years then her family moved to Sunnyvale and then on to Boulder Creek, where she resides now.

“I used to live in the cherry orchard behind Memorial Park, before the memorial was built,” Kim says. “It’s been years since I’ve been there. I have very fond memories of the park before the memorial, just playing there as a child.”

Being part of an Army family she’s not surprised that she found out by chance that her photo had become part of the 2012 Photo of the Year.

The Army’s kind of “vague” with some things, she says with a chuckle.

“People ask me  (if I win) ‘What are you going to get?’ Probably nothing,” she says.

She doesn’t care. Getting people to acknowledge the sacrifice our troops make for us is award enough for her.

Again, you can go to the Army's Year in Photos to find Monack's image and vote. Click "like" to win. You need to be signed in to your Facebook or Twitter account.