Dedication to the Fallen

As you know, my Brigade recently lost two of its own. A memorial took place yesterday in honor of those two men. A member of my company wrote a very poignant dedication and I would like to share it with you.

 

Dedication to the Fallen:

 

Today was not like any other day, as I, along with representatives from all of the battalions within the Dagger Brigade, bid farewell to two warriors. Never before had I attended a memorial service as emotional as this one. The Division Chapel was filled to the point fellow Soldiers had to stand in the halls to pay their respects. To see the faces of so many Soldiers dealt a blow to my own heart and mind that I wll always remember. The two Soldiers who risked their lives were from two very different spectrums within our service. SFC Beattie, having served 17 years, was a seasoned Non-Commissioned Officer. PFC Mora, a zealous and dedicated Soldier, having recently joined the Army family, deployed for the first time. These two Soldiers are etched in my mind. These two men strived for excellence, bravery, all of the Army Values that you and I swore to follow. These Soldiers died trying their best to protect us, like so many before them that paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

 

As an intelligence professional, although I never met SFC Beattie or PFC Mora, I felt the full blow of the loss. In my mind, even now, hours after the memorial I feel for their families back home that no longer have their husband, their father, their grandchild getting ready to return home to their embrace. As a new husband and soon-to-be father, it was even tougher to hold back the tears as members of the 1-63 family spoke so highly of them. As the Battalion Commander lost his bearing speaking of his fallen Soldiers, as the 1SG commenced the final roll call and those two great Soldiers failed to respond to the call, as those soldiers that were wounded in that vehicle walked passed me after comforting fellow members of their team, bearing the scars and injuries of that fateful May day, I broke down and cried. Even as I write this, I can feel the tears in my eyes. I know that there is nothing we can do now to go back in time and save them, but to me, as a Military Intelligence professional, the loss of one Soldier is one too many. We can't afford to lose anymore of our brothers and sisters in arms.

 

1SG Pint and CPT Cano said it best after the memorial. It is our responsibility to see to it that this doesn't happen again. As Intel we carry the burden of looking for those indicators of an imminent attack, identifying who can and will execute the attack, while finding ways to stop them in their tracks. We bear a heavy, difficult, often thankless and tedious responsibility. Sometimes we question too much the logic behind why we do what we do. Why must it be this way? Why can't someone else do it? Simply put, because there is no one else that can do it better that WE can. Sometimes I myself get selfish and neglect to realize we do this because people depend on our analysis and assessments day in and day out. Sometimes I get complacent, cut some corners to get it done and move on to the next task as quickly as possible. Who doesn't do that? But after today, seeing the tears fall from the faces of our brothers and sisters in Task Force Dragon, I made a vow to give it my all. I challenge my Soldiers, and the rest of us: Soldiers, Non-Commissioned Officers, Warrant Officers and Officers alike, to do all that we can to take this enemy we face head on until the final boot of those we deployed with touches American Soil. We're only half way done, now is far from the time to get complacent, lose morale and focus. This is where the mission is most critical. The enemy is determined to force us out with our backs turned; let's not give them the chance to succeed!

 

To our brothers and sisters in Task Force Dragon, as I told you walking into the line of leaders, your loss is embedded in my heart and mind. Stand strong in your time of grief as I know you will do. True this is a difficult day for all of us, but be ye grateful because SFC Beattie and PFC Mora are home in heaven cheering us on, waiting for us all to return safely. Please take a moment to lift the families of those that have fallen in your prayers, especially as Memorial Day approaches. Look to your left and your right, tell those you serve with you are proud to serve with them, and above all else, Never Forget Who You Are!

 

A Soldier first, but an Intelligence Professional second to none!

 

I wanted to close this out with a quote to motivate us all and found these two:

 

"The only cure for grief is action."

--G.H. Lewes (English Author and Psychologist, 1817-1878)

 

"Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind."

--Marcel Proust (French Novelist and Author, 1871-1922)