As some of you may have heard and read, three Soldiers from the 278th were killed two weeks ago. I always wait a while to write about KIAs, since families still need time to find out and start their mourning process. I will not get into details of how they died (even though all the news articles I read were incorrect) since I am sharing my thoughts on them personally, rather than being a media outlet. Of course the blogs sites end up being an information outlet, and that is fine. It is just not my purpose for blogging.
Shortly after the incident occurred, my platoon received the information that we lost three Soldiers from my fob. We were all in a state of shock and devastation. One minute you have those three troops, and the next minute they are gone. SGT Reese and SPC Taylor were Soldiers that I had never met or remember bumping into at the fob. SSG Hawn was a troop that I was familiar with and had seen multiple times around the fob. He was in a leadership position/duty, which caused us to be in similar areas of the fob. He was a Soldier of average height, but far from an average smile. Once I heard who was killed, I immediately remembered seeing SSG Hawn in the days prior to his death. I was stunned to think that he was not going home with us, and his early trip home would cause a lot of pain and sorrow. I heard he was the only one of the three who had children, and one of the other guys was married as well as SSG Hawn. It is hard to express sadness, when it becomes overwhelming. Just a few days after the deaths, I took my platoon to the memorial service where commanders got a chance to share a few words about the fallen Soldiers. We got one final opportunity to salute each of them as their Kevlars sat upon their weapons, and dog tags hanging as they would be around their necks. Some Soldiers put military coins near the base of their weapons as a sign of respect and love. My platoon is ever changed by the loss of these brave and selfless Soldiers. I am changed by their supreme sacrifice for the safety of our country as well as Iraqis.
I put joy in the title of this post because I am on leave in the US with my wonderful wife. Are things different at home? Well, yes and no. Our love for each other has grown stronger, and how much we value time together has increased. Walking off the plane and seeing Tiffany was very surreal, and it did not feel real till she hugged and kissed me. When I saw her, it was similar to when I first saw her walking down the isle on our wedding day. People used to ask what I initially thought of her wedding dress. I always told them that I did not even see the dress because my eyes were locked with hers. Our eyes locked together in that airport just as they did during that amazing God filled day in February '03. OK, no more sharing on that. Its for us to chat about when we are old and in rocking chairs 40 years from now. Once we got home, I walked in the door and was given multiple slobbering wet kisses from our two dogs. Both had not changed a bit, and were just thrilled to see me. The older of our two dogs I got during my first year of graduate school when Tiffany and I first started dating. We both remember driving to the breeder's home and going crazy over the little puppy corgi. She is now almost 6 years old and once she realized who I was, she was in a frenzy. It was not long before I had a real shower, brushed my teeth from the sink (not with bottled water), had a real meal, got into civilian clothes, and just relaxed. Yes, never underestimate the power of relaxing.
The day I got home, Tiffany told me about SSG Hawn's funeral which was being held the following day in the town we live in. I did not know if there was going to be a representative from my squadron in attendance. Tiffany and I decided that we wanted to pay our respects and both celebrate his life and mourn his death. There were many people at the church and he had full military honors during the service. The commander of the RTI that commissioned me as a 
Lieutenant presented the awards and medals during the service. 'Be Thou My Vision' was playing in the background on the organ and many of his family spoke about how much of a hero he was and still is to them. Just weeks prior to his death, one of his nieces was killed in a car wreck, so the family was already devastated. The pastor that helped him grow in his relationship with Christ shared many words about Freddie's integrity, his love for Jesus, his family, and his passion for serving his country. The pastor shared that he heard some local Iraqis started a memorial for the fallen troops. SPC James K. Downs was also in the vehicle when the IED hit it. He was not killed in the attack, but sustained multiple broken bones, and was severely burned on more than half of his body. Please keep SPC Down's recovery in your prayers as well as the families of SSG Hawn, SGT Reece, and SPC Taylor.
Thank you Gary for your life and service to our country..
Thank you Shannon for your life and service to our country..
Thank you Freddie for your life and service to our country..
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050815-4428.html
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