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Connor barely got to know him, and Cooper never got to meet him, but every Sunday, rain or shine, Nicki Bunting walks her children through Arlington National Cemetery to visit their father's grave.

"I want Bubba to be an everyday part of our lives still," said Nicki, 29, of Darnestown. "To keep him in our hearts and our lives every day."

On Monday, the Bunting family will mourn the death of Brian "Bubba" Bunting and millions of other fallen servicemen and women as a part of Memorial Day. Sixteen servicemen with ties to Montgomery County have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq since the conflicts began in October 2001 and March 2003, respectively.

More than a year since his death, Capt. Brian "Bubba" Bunting remains alive in the video messages he left for his son and his wife while he was stationed in Afghanistan. Nicki uses videos of her husband reading Aesop's Fables to show their children who their father was.

"I'm so lucky I have those," she said. "Connor got to know him a little. Cooper doesn't have the opportunity."

Nicki learned she was pregnant with their second child days after Bubba was killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device Feb. 24, 2009, just four days after spending two weeks at home visiting his family.

The Buntings always wanted a big family. Though marred with tragedy, discovering she was pregnant again was a dream come true, Nicki said.

"It was something we wanted so badly," she said. "The best part is he is the spitting image of Bubba. His face is just shrunken down into a little baby."

Born Oct. 29, 2009, Cooper, joins Connor, 2, in the weekly visits to their father's grave. Nicki makes sure the boys bring important things in their life to show their father during their family time.

Bubba broke a long Navy family tradition by choosing to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after his 1998 graduation from the Bullis School, which Nicki also attended. His grandfather fought in the Korean War, his father was in the Vietnam War, and his two brothers fought in the Gulf War. He was the first to not return home safely.

"Bubba was kind of the Benedict Arnold when he when into the Army," said sister Stephanie Graver, 35, of Gaithersburg. "Our parents instilled that love of country and honor and duty in all of us."

Last year, Nicki created "Bubba's Belly Run," hosted at Bullis in Potomac in September. The 5K run and maternity walk raised $56,000 for her children's education, the American Widow Project, Fisher House, and Flat Daddies; three charities that support military families. She plans to hold the event this year on Sept. 26.

"I think it was a really important opportunity for [Nicki] to see the support and to honor his memory," said Tim Simpson, director of admissions at Bullis and a family friend who attended the race. "And to do it here on our campus where they have so much history was really important."

Nicki also used the run to raise awareness of how many people have died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Around the perimeter of the race were more than 5,000 flags representing each fallen serviceman and woman. As of Tuesday, 5,462 members of the U.S. Armed Forces have been killed in those wars.

"I want them to not think of just a number," she said. "A number, you forget the meaning of it. Think of the people who have been killed and their families."

Nicki formed a bond with American Widow Project founder Taryn Davis of Austin, Texas, in May 2009 when they met for dinner in Washington, D.C.

"While speaking with Nicki, I knew she had the same passion for continuing her husband's legacy," said Davis, whose husband Cpl. Michael Davis was killed in Iraq in 2007. "It was at that time she told us of the idea of starting this run."

The American Widow Project received more than $13,000 from the run, which helped develop its website for widows to share stories, and also funded four events for more than 60 people who have lost spouses in the war, Davis said.

"When she sent me that check I couldn't believe how much she raised," Davis said. "Nicki was raising a son, pregnant, and doing all the coordination for this run. It speaks wonders."

Nicki said she still receives an outpouring of support from the community. She even gets letters sent from strangers.

"The entire community, and really the entire country, I thought they were going to forget, and they haven't," she said.

Nicki said she is determined to keep Bubba's legacy alive for her children.

"The little boys keep me smiling every day," she said.

Bubba's Belly Run

The 2009 Bubba's Belly Run benefited:

Flat Daddies, which provides life-size pictures of deployed service members for their families, received $12,000 to provide more than 400 families with photos free of charge.

The American Widow Project, a nonprofit dedicated to those who have lost a spouse at war, received more than $13,000 to develop its website and support events.

The Fisher House Program, which provides a "home away from home" near military medical centers for families of injured service members, received $12,000. The donation benefited the expansion of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda of the Fisher House Foundation. The houses can support 15 families and will be expanded to support 45 families.

The remaining money went into an educational fund for Bunting's sons, Cooper and Connor.

To learn more, visit www.bubbasbellyrun.com.