AJC.com > Iraq coverage > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USMission rolls on for those who lost 8 comrades
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tallil Air Base, Iraq — The soldiers of Alpha Company were going out in armored Humvees this day. Like they did back then.
They poured bottled water over the ballistic glass windows to rinse off the dust. One installed a new bracket on his machine gun.
There was a last-minute run back to the living trailers to stock up on Red Bull. As they waited, some compared the knives strapped on their belts. The gunners, who stand in turrets exposed to the elements, and more, put on camouflaged cold- weather gear.
Some soldiers in Iraq kiss talismans around their necks before leaving base; others pray collectively with a chaplain.
But such rituals are not part of the pre-mission routine for Alpha Company’s 2nd Platoon.
Not after last July.
On this January day, they settled instead on a brief discussion of the mission at hand: escorting a shipment of 160,000 gallons of jet fuel from southern Iraq to Camp Anaconda, just north of Baghdad.
Sgt. 1st Class Don Whitmire, 48, the patrol leader, read from the latest intelligence report on what to expect on the treacherous road.
Speed limit is 55. Wear your seat belts. In the event of a rollover, grab the gunner from the turret. Gentlemen, you all know what IED holes look like.
Then came the reminder.
“Come by and pick up your bracelets,” Whitmire said.
The bracelets — elegant stainless steel bands bearing a U.S. flag and the lightning bolt insignia of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team. Each etched with four names of the fallen. Whitmire recently ordered a set for each of his soldiers.
The bracelets are his way of honoring the loss his company suffered last summer. In two incidents separated by six painfully short July days, eight soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment’s Alpha Company, died when their Humvees rolled over massive bombs hidden in the roads of rural southwest Baghdad.
Eight men gone from one platoon, their lives ended with brutal swiftness.
The shock, followed by intense grief and anger, reverberated through the tents that the Valdosta-based infantrymen occupied last summer at Camp Striker, adjacent to the Baghdad airport.
The Alpha Company soldiers were the first in the 48th Brigade to die in blasts generated by improvised explosive devices, bombs planted beneath or beside roads. They are the weapon of choice of insurgents in Iraq.
Alpha Company soldiers coped the best way they knew how; undeterred in their resolve to soldier on, traversing the same roads and hunting an elusive enemy.
“You can’t bottom out when you have 10 months to go,” said Sgt. William Rousseau, 24, a Richmond County sheriff’s deputy who survived both the ill-fated patrols in July. “We moved on.
“Do I think about it? Every day. Every time we go down the road I think about it.”
Whitmire, a real estate developer from Bainbridge, couldn’t bear to hear the names called out at a Veterans Day event he attended while home on leave in November.
“Hearing all the names — my eight guys — was really hard,” he said.
Whitmire had made up the roster for the patrols. He lives with his decision every day.
“It could have been anybody in the platoon,” he said. “I’m the one who said who was going on those trucks. They’re all my sons.”
Whenever a 2nd Platoon vehicle was attacked, on subsequent patrols, Whitmire positioned his own Humvee in the slot of the one that got hit.
“If the No. 2 truck got hit, I moved my truck to No. 2,” he said. “I could see the looks in the guys’ eyes. Nobody wanted to be in that spot.”
It was difficult, too, to ask his men to keep going back out there.
“Not that we had anyone who didn’t want to do it,” Whitmire said. “But there was that sense of hesitation. I still feel my platoon was targeted because of the good things we were doing.”
During training at Fort Stewart last spring, Whitmire talked to his soldiers about what they were about to face in Iraq.
“It’s a cliché — some of us may not be coming back,” Whitmire said. “Then when it happens in the fashion that it did happen … “
Whitmire paused, unsure how to finish.
“It will be extremely hard,” he said, “to get on a plane and leave this country without them.”
Trust in locals shattered
The names are painted on concrete barriers at Camp Striker, occupied now by the 101st Airborne Division. They are scratched on the trunk of a tree near a safe house that Alpha Company soldiers used last summer. They appear under their photos at brigade headquarters at Tallil.
Killed July 24, 2005:
Sgt. John Thomas
Spc. Jacques Brunson
Staff Sgt. Carl Fuller
Sgt. James Kinlow
Killed July 30, 2005:
Spc. Jonathon Haggin
Staff Sgt. David Jones
Sgt. 1st Class Victor Anderson
Sgt. Ronnie Shelley
A truck driver, a warehouse supervisor, a meat cutter, a construction worker, a bakery supervisor, a sheriff’s deputy, a jailer and a security guard. Sons, husbands and fathers.
After the remains of the eight were flown home last summer, several Alpha Company soldiers moved up their two-week leaves. They feared the worst — that next time out, it might be them. They didn’t want to miss seeing their families one last time.
Spc. Jeffrey Anderson, 36, a construction worker from Gainesville, went home using the time that had been allotted to one of the fallen, Ronnie Shelley. Shelley had been Anderson’s battle buddy, the gunner on his Humvee.
Anderson took his wife and two daughters to see his friend’s widow, Heidi.
“I haven’t figured it all out yet,” he said afterward. “Somehow you dig deep down inside and keep going.”
Staff Sgt. Gerald Coleman, 43, a night manager at a hotel in Columbus, also visited Shelley’s family.
“The worst part is that people back home don’t know everything. They ask questions you can’t answer,” he said. “The pain is still there.”
The three men who witnessed both days of carnage — Rousseau, Spc. Vito Pellitteri and Spc. Rodney Davidson — were inconsolable last summer.
After the first memorial service at Camp Striker, Rousseau and Pellitteri sat on the steps of the stage with Victor Anderson to remember their brothers.
Days later, on patrol with Anderson, Rousseau and Pellitteri again heard a thundering explosion and looked back in horror: the third vehicle on the patrol was no longer in sight. Anderson and three others were gone.
Rousseau and Pellitteri went home on leave in September. Along with Sgt. Scott Davis, they attended a tree dedication at Fort Stewart for the fallen. The eight Alpha Company names were added to Warrior’s Walk, a memorial to those killed in action.
Rousseau worried for Pellitteri, a student at Valdosta State and only 19. So young to have experienced such losses.
Rousseau worried, too, that the deaths hardened the hearts of Alpha Company soldiers and changed the way they would interact with Iraqis.
“I lost a lot of the wanting to be able to trust,” Rousseau said. “The outreach stuff ended. It was all business for us. We didn’t want to take that extra step anymore.”
But they gathered their strength and continued patrolling towns and villages in southwest Baghdad, handing out toys and candy to the children and speaking with the adults to find information on suspected insurgents. They would look into Iraqi eyes and wonder — did they know the person who was responsible?
The mission rolls along
Time. Alpha Company soldiers wanted time to march on, knowing that every new day would help soothe their loss.
Place. Alpha Company knew its patrols in “that area” would end in the fall. The 48th Brigade was scheduled to move to southern Iraq for a new mission. They longed for the day they would no longer have to drive on Route Aeros and Route Red Sox and catch glimpses of Kevlar, a Gerber multipurpose tool or pieces of a Humvee seat still strewn in the dust.
After the deaths, the 2nd Battalion was transformed into an “air mobile unit.” Some missions were conducted using helicopters that dropped off and picked up soldiers so they wouldn’t have to drive the deadly roads.
“I personally like this because I can’t remember the last time a helicopter ran over an IED,” Spc. Jason Smith, an Alpha Company medic, wrote to friends in an e-mail. “I know that’s a little bit of an obscure way of looking at it, but I’m more worried about IEDs than I am being shot out of the sky.”
In late October, those missions ended when the battalion moved to Tallil Air Base, near Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. A month later, Alpha soldiers started new jobs as escorts for trucks that carry supplies from Kuwait to U.S. military bases in central and northern Iraq.
It wasn’t what the soldiers had envisioned.
“Now, we are covering three or four times the ground in Humvees through some of the worst areas of Iraq,” Whitmire said.
Before they pick up the fuel trucks, Alpha Company soldiers drive out of Tallil just as they did at Striker: Humvees in single file on a dirt road that leads out to the highway.
The imagery is chilling. Too much like those two days — Pellitteri in the driver’s seat with Rousseau by his side.
But after eight months in Iraq, Rousseau said he “feels more at ease.”
“I can’t do anything about what’s buried in the road,” he said.
The convoys are long, tiring and often risky. The soldiers of 2nd platoon have been driving to Camp Liberty, Camp Anaconda and forward operating bases at Taqaddum with 20 giant trucks carrying thousands of gallons of jet fuel. One spark, one blast, could mean a fiery end.
Spc. Sean Martin, dressed in full “battle rattle,” sat quietly in the driver’s seat with a pocket-size New Testament in his right hand. It was a moment of introspection.
“If it’s my time to go, I want to be in a position to go to heaven.” Martin said holding up the Bible. “It’s kind of like soul food. This gives me encouragement.”
Memories in the dark
In the Baghdad area, the roads are far from quiet. Often, soldiers spend long hours waiting for a freshly discovered bomb to be removed. Or they wait because a highway was shut down after an attack on U.S. soldiers.
They count the overpasses on the main north-south highway.
“Ten more to go and we’re home,” Whitmire said on a recent run to Anaconda.
He ordered his gunners to shoot bags left on the roadsides. Or fire flares at suspicious vehicles.
“This is our old home,” Whitmire said as the convoy approached southwest Baghdad.
Moving out of that area gave some of the guys a “fresh start,” Rousseau said. It lifted their spirits.
“To me it didn’t matter where we stayed,” he said.
But some 2nd Platoon soldiers wish they were still there.
“Maybe it’s the guys we left behind,” Coleman said.
Or maybe, he said, it’s because the soldiers felt they were winning their war — there were tangible signs of progress in the villages around Striker. In turn, that would lead to fewer casualties.
Davidson said he wanted to stay behind. It wasn’t vengeance that ate at his soul — it was a matter of justice for his eight fallen friends.
“I lost my whole squad there. The people responsible for killing them are in that area,” said Davidson, 39, an employee at Yamaha in Thomaston.
Scattered among the big trucks, the 48th Brigade soldiers drive mostly at night, when the air is cold and the roads sometimes pitch black.
That’s when reality sets in.
“I don’t want to forget but I want to pull up the memories when I want to,” Davidson said.
After so many months, he has found peace in the ability to do just that. To think about the eight out of choice — not because the nightmares are never-ending.
‘I love you, man’
Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” blasted out of Spc. Jason Smith’s iPod mini. The paramedic from Philadelphia is a big fan of music from the 1980s. Smith, 28, occupied a rear passenger seat in the Humvee and strained to read Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” with the help of a small flashlight. On this night, the wait at the gates of Anaconda was long and uncomfortable.
A helicopter had gone down the day before and there were reports of an IED on the main highway ahead. No convoys could exit the base until the area had been cleared.
“Resilience is a good word to describe the company,” Smith said, reflecting on a deployment approaching an end this spring.
Smith often thinks about the words tattooed on his left leg: “I will never leave a fallen comrade.”
Last summer, he could not live up to that promise.
“There was absolutely nothing I could have done had I been there,” Smith wrote home to friends in an e-mail. “I can tell you that I had mentally prepared myself for the absolute worst, but even the worst didn’t compare to what I had to face.”
In October, he wrote to friends about his numbness or why he wouldn’t share any of his soldierly life in letters or phone calls anymore. Not after what happened.
“My feelings of this place and its people had changed and I had pretty much forgotten all about one of the very reasons that I had chose to deploy in the first place, which was to make a better life for these people,” Smith said. “Well today I caught sight of that vision once again and it came in the form of a little girl.”
Everyone has a story of healing.
A child with ribbons around her pigtails held Smith’s hand and softened the anger within.
“Later in the day I begin to reflect on the events of earlier and I feel positive about this place … something I haven’t felt in a long time,” Smith wrote.
Of the eight who perished, Smith knew Haggin the best. They slept next to each other on cots in a tent covered by a dusty blue tarp.
“He and I were neighbors and shared many things,” Smith said in one of his e-mails. “He kept quiet about his family and his past, but I knew that he had … a 3-year-old little girl whom he loved more than life itself.”
Haggin had spent three weeks in Germany recuperating after three ribs were broken in an IED attack earlier in the summer. He could have stayed on medical disability longer, but he was eager to rejoin his platoon.
July 30 was his first mission after he returned.
Smith walked up to his friend. “I love you, man,” he told Haggin.
Hours later, Haggin was dead.
When Smith recalls that blistering July day, he thinks about a lot of things. About how the eight laughed and made others laugh. Their love for their families. The bond they felt so far from home.
He also wonders why he chose that particular moment to utter three little words he doesn’t often use.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Marie
February 11, 2006 03:11 PM | Link to this
Thank you Ms. Basu for another real and touching story about our soldiers and what they give for their country friends and family. Thank you for not forgetting our fallen.
By "Momma Kat" Orr
February 11, 2006 03:26 PM | Link to this
What a powerful and moving article… there are just no words to convey my sorrow, my pride, my gratitude…
Y’all hang in there ~ not much longer now…. we are with y’all all the way. And same goes for when y’all are home ~ you will be thought of and prayed for constantly as you readjust back to life here in civilization… we’re here for y’all, the whole way.
At risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say again ~ thank you ~ we are proud of you and pray for you always, and your families, too.
hugs to all
By arthur edwards
February 11, 2006 04:24 PM | Link to this
as a vietnam veteran 13 months in country i feel all the emotions of being away from home as a 18 year old kid ,but be encouraged that God will see you through. iraq is a different war but yhe loss is just as powerfull and hurting.so take care thanks for your service that will allow me to enjoy a life of freedom.a.e 1968.
By Debby & Chelsey
February 11, 2006 07:48 PM | Link to this
our prayer’s and thoughts are with everyone of u and your family. Thank You one and all.
By jen
February 11, 2006 07:51 PM | Link to this
to all of you guys i thank you for all that you are doing there. it takes alot to do what you do and you are all very brave. joe, i love you and cant wait to see you all come home.
By KID SISTER DANIELLE
February 11, 2006 10:25 PM | Link to this
THANKS, AJC, FOR HONORING OUR TROOPS WITH SUCH GREAT ARTICLES LIKE THIS. NOT A MOMENT GOES BY THAT I DON’T PRAY FOR THESE WHO WITNESSED SO MUCH, LIKE MY BROTHER, RODNEY. MAY GOD BLESS PEOPLE WITH YOUR WORDS AS HE CONTINUES TO BLESS OUR FAMILY WITH PEACE.
By john
February 12, 2006 08:27 AM | Link to this
I’m proud that you guys call the USA home. You guys are real world super hero’s…keep your chin up and remember we support you all the way.
By Dawn Williams
February 12, 2006 08:31 AM | Link to this
Moni words can not express our gratitude for our fallen comrades and the company that can. The story was and is amazing and touches us all to our soul. Thank you for writing the story. Thank you for telling it in a way that No one will ever forget. We are all in the count down mode for our soldiers coming home. But we will never forget all of our troops.Thank you for putting yourself in harms way so that there stories could be told. May you be blessed always.
By Becky
February 12, 2006 09:02 AM | Link to this
All I can say is wow and a prayer or two.
By Jackie Newman
February 12, 2006 09:16 AM | Link to this
Thank you for such a moving article. I think we often loose sight of what our men are going through over there. Spc Jason Smith is my brother. When he visited home after the attacks I realized that the things he is experiencing will stay with him forever. These men are his new family, he loves them as we love him. We will never truly know the sacrifice they are making for us to sleep safetly in our beds at night. Jason voluntered to go to Iraq knowing what may happpen to him there. I don’t think there could be a single more compassionate act. Thank all of you, and I can’t wait to you get home!
By Jenni
February 12, 2006 01:44 PM | Link to this
What a touching article. These men who had died for our country are such heroes. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of what is going on, maybe it is denial in some way…but sometimes it’s easier not to think about what they’re enduring in Iraq. This article was so bittersweet, thank you for writing it :)
By Jen Nissing
February 12, 2006 04:01 PM | Link to this
Miss Basu, Thanks for what you’ve been doing, spending time with the guys and reminding people back home about the sacrifices they are making every day. I’m Smith’s girl back home, and it’s really great to see that his words are having an effect on people all over Atlanta now.
Take care when you’re over there!
By Sonya
February 12, 2006 06:41 PM | Link to this
Moni, Your article was both sad and touching. You along with the young men that contributed to the article gave a fitting tribute to the fallen 8. They will never be forgotten and their memory will live on. Thank you for risking your safety to bring this story to all of us. To the families of the fallen May God continue to bless each one of you and may he give you peace in your time of need. To those of you that remain in Iraq we are praying for you and will continue to do so as we know the mission is not complete. I am Whitmire’s girlfriend and I am very proud of him and all of the guys that unselfishly fight for the freedom that we as Americans enjoy. Thank you all,God bless and be safe. Luv U Whitmire!
By ARMY MOM
February 12, 2006 06:50 PM | Link to this
GOD BLESS OUR FALLEN HEROES AND THEIR FAMILYS!! I PRAY FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF OUR TREASURED SOLDIERS AND FAMILY.. GIVE US ALL STRENGHT TO ENDURE EACH DAY UNTIL WE HAVE THEM HOME AGAIN. THIS ARTICLE PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE BEAUTIFUL SOULS THAT NOW WATCH OVER EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEIR FELLOW SOLDIERS. “SOLDIERS GUARDIAN ANGELS”—GOD BLESS OUR SOLDIERS AND PROTECT THEM TILL YOU BRING THEM HOME…AMEN
By Proud 48th Wife
February 12, 2006 07:00 PM | Link to this
As I read the article I was moved to tears, memories of our fallen soldiers brought back. As Jackie said these men and women are now my husband’s “other family”. I’m proud to call them my family to.
To the families of our fallen soldiers you are always in our thoughts and prayers.
To our soldiers that are still in country, we are counting down the days until you are home safe.
We love you all and are very proud of you.
By I remember
February 13, 2006 08:06 AM | Link to this
6 months, 14 days, not a day goes by that I do not remember. I still get my google alerts so I will see when Rod is mentioned. Thankyou for such a touching story about him and the others who were lost.
By richard.moses
February 13, 2006 09:37 AM | Link to this
to my family of the 48th.I am very proud of you guys of 2ndplt.Everyday that goes by i think of my men that we lost on the 24th of july.I am in tears at this moment as i often find myself we i think of my men and Sfc Anderson and his men.I pray God doesn’t call anymore guys home on this deployment.I know God doesn’t makes mistakes but i really miss you guys.I hope and pray i see the great men of 2nd plt on the other side.love all…SSG MOses
By Carolyh Harrelson
February 13, 2006 10:27 AM | Link to this
This is a truly moving story about our heroes and the determination and motivation it must take for them to keep goung day after day. My son is in the 1/121 infantry B Co.,and I know that all these men and women struggle from time to time with their conscience and their obligation to their country. They are all in my thoughts and prayers daily and given an opening I ask others,churches,individuals,etc. to pray for their safe return and thus far,these soldiers have support and prayer from everyone I speak with. Complete strangers who have seen my son in the paper have offered their support and prayers. But to this group of young men and women and all the other troops,I say please don’t give up on yourselves. We care about what happens to you and we support you 100% and you are in all our prayers. You will continue to have our support when you return home.
By ken
February 13, 2006 02:53 PM | Link to this
Not a day goes by I don’t think about my friend Carl Fuller who was killed in the first IED attack 24 July 2005. Here was a man who volunteered to return to war for the third time. I was with Carl on several missions in Iraq in 2003 and I was surprised he volunteered for another tour, but as I started to think about it he was first and foremost a soldier and a paratrooper and what he loved after God and family was being a soldier and upholding the time honored traditions of the Airborne and with that in mind when the time came to volunteer for my second tour I readily accepted the challenge, to do otherwise would dishonor the sacrifice he made for his team and mission. To my fallen comrade, “Where the ordinary fail and the weak fall LRS prevails, It shall be done HOOAH!!!”
By Rods twin sister
February 13, 2006 03:30 PM | Link to this
Thank you all for remembering our fallen heroes!!!! All I could do was cry when I read this article. Rod Shelley will never be forgotton along with all the others. He is terribly missed. Life isn’t the same without him.
By mandi
February 13, 2006 05:11 PM | Link to this
Thanks to all of our brave heroes in Iraq. If it wasn’t for these men and women in uniform our nation would not be safe. I pray for all of y’all daily. I thank God for y’all. Keep up the good work, be safe. These memories are so sad, I know it is all a part of war. My thoughts and prayers go out to everybody who has lost a loved one due to war. God Bless y’all. Keep safe.
By Tammy Therien
February 13, 2006 11:23 PM | Link to this
This article really touched home for me. My brother “Sgt. Ronnie L. Shelley” was one of these 8 fallen heros. I just wanted to thank you all for not forgetting him. I know he is truly smiling over you all there and proud of the job ya’ll are doing! Again thanks for having my brother in your hearts. Please know that each of you are in our hearts. This article relly touched home for me. My brother “Sgt. Ronnie L. Shelley” was one of these 8 fallen heros. I just wanted to thank you all for not forgetting him. I know he is truly smiling over you all there and proud of the job ya’ll are doing! Again thanks for having my brother in your hearts. Tammy Therien / tpgang@aol.com
By Rebecca Bryant
February 14, 2006 04:17 PM | Link to this
Thank You for this article. This is to remind us that we are to be proud every day of these men and women who serve America and its citizens with such selflessness. We love you and pray for you all daily. May God Bless you and Keep you until he brings you all back home.
Rebecca Washington DC
By Bob Kelter
February 15, 2006 09:11 PM | Link to this
I opened this site to learn about combat medics as a part of my refresher course as a small town volunteer EMT. I’m aware of the successes of military emergency medical care 96%, astounding considering the danger and lethality of injuries received by troops.
I’m moved to write, however because I work everyday as a social worker at the Madison, WI VA Hospital and as the VA/ Dept. of Defense, “Point of Contact” for returning troops. It has been my privilege and honor to serve returning troops as they adjust to civillian life after discharge/demob and welcome them to health care in the VA.
I write this in tribute to each returning service member, thanking them for their service and sacrafices to our country and to pledge my best efforts to assist them and their families in the adjustment process. I welcome questions about our VA health care and benefits system and promise to reply to questions. To those in country: Godspeed and to those who have returned, Welcome Home.
By leisha pass
February 16, 2006 03:11 PM | Link to this
I remember when my son Brandon called last summer to tell us about the soldiers being killed, I cried. It was such a relief to hear his voice and saddness for the lose. boy did it hit close to home, and bought me real quick into the reality of what was going on. 48th Brigade and all soldiers are in my prayers all day and everyday. I pray that the good Lord keep guardian angels around to protect these soldiers. I would love to have one of the braclets showed in the picture section. How do you get 1? I have a braclet honorig the Nat’l Guard but would like to have this one also.
By Joanna Fragosa
February 18, 2006 07:40 AM | Link to this
All I HAVE TO SAY IS GOOD BLESS YOU ALL. NOW THAT WE ARE SEEING THE END OF THE ROAD PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL. ALL THE PUERTO RICAN FAMILIES ARE PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU TOO. YOU ARE ONE BIG FAMILY. BY THE WAY. A BIG HUGE TO OUR CARIBBEANS. FROM ALL THE FAMILIES HERE IN PUERTO RICO. LOVE YOU SPC. FRAGOSA
By "Momma Kat" Orr
February 18, 2006 12:02 PM | Link to this
Leisha - I havent’ seen the bracelet in the photo section, but I have a “hero bracelet” I wear. If you go to www.herobracelets.org you can get a personalized, custom-made one. I love mine! Mine says, “My Hero, {Rank, name}” on the first line, and the second line says, “{hometown}, GA, Army, Iraq, 2005-06” and I think you can have it made to say just about whatever you want. They also have KIA “Memorial” bracelets, and also POW/MIA bracelets you can order.
By John Kirkland
February 19, 2006 04:37 AM | Link to this
I am the older brother of “Doc Kirkland”. SPC. Royal is my best friend. It’s very hard having two people so close to you deployed in the same place. Especially considering SPC Jaques Brunson was also a childhood friend. I attended hs funeral and got to meet his battle buddy. The sacrifices and pain will never be forgotten by me. The Georgia Army National Guard is my family also. I have many friends nd relatives that have joined thde ranks. I want to say that i am very thankful for all the support from everyone on behalf of the 48th. I pray a prayer of protection and send angels to surround the 48th during the rest of their deployment. In the name of Jesus. May his blood cover you all in protection and comfort.
By Tammy
February 19, 2006 08:15 PM | Link to this
If the rain makes the flowers, trees, ect grow, then I think God must use our tears to make us grow. I think we have all grown, and become better people because of these fallen soldiers. Even ones like me who did not know them personally. What they and their families have sacrificed for us is personal. Through tears, I pray that we will always remember what they have done, and never take it lightly or for granted. May we carry on with thier dedication to God, Country, and freedom. God Bless all the families left behind, I pray you forever feel God’s loving arms wrapped around you.
By Tim D Little
February 20, 2006 06:17 AM | Link to this
I really don’t know what to say. So much goes through my mind about that day. I did not really know those guys except by face and hey as I walked by them or a nod and a wave as they rode past us during patrols. Its something I will never forget till the day I die. Being there when they were hit with the IED has linked myself and the other guys that were there that day to them forever. I pray at times for the families of those guys that GOD grants them peace of mind. I wish I really knew what to tell you but GOD bless you. And that time will ease your pain and replace it with the good memories that you hold close to your hearts. And that myself and others mourn with you.