Wednesday Hero 08/13/2008

Spc. Matthew A. Koch
23 years old from West Henrietta, New York
Company C, 70th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division
March 9, 2005


Spc. Matthew A. Koch was on his second tour of duty when he was killed by an IED that was detonated near his vehicle in Taji. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He previously was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon and medals for service in the fight against terrorism.

Koch enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the attacks on September 11, 2001 and re-enlisted because he wanted to help the Iraqi people. "He was a brave soldier who made the greatest sacrifice anyone could make for everyone else's freedom," Diane Worman, Koch's mother, said through tears. "He realized that by being over there, he was going to make a difference in the lives of those people." She said her son once unsuccessfully sought green cards for an Iraqi family that had been threatened for helping Americans.

"He always looked out for the other guy, never thought of himself. He volunteered to go to C Co before our first deployment so that one of the guys from our Platoon didn't have to deploy early and would have a chance to marry his fiance. That's Koch for you, always looking out for his buddies." - David A. "Buch" Buchanan.

"He really loved the service and went back," said James Worman, Koch's stepfather. "He had no problem. He was dedicated to the fact that people over there needed help. He was always concerned about other people. He loved children. He was a nice, soft-hearted kid."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

POW-MIA

August 12, 1972 - The last American combat ground troops left Vietnam...



or did they?


We must never forget!

Purple Heart

"Being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces"


Today is the birthday of the Purple Heart!
In 1782,George Washington established the Order of the Purple Heart at Newburgh, New York. The Purple Heart recognizes merit in enlisted soldiers who have been wounded or killed while serving with the U.S. military. It is the oldest symbol and award given to members of the U.S. Military.

My brother-in-law, Phil has received five Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War. Truly, he is the finest of heroes. We sat with him at the wedding of his grand-daughter two weekends ago... it is amazing to think of all this one man has been through and yet he holds one of the sweetest spirits I have ever met. Tomorrow is the shared birthday of Phil and my husband. Happy Birthday, Guys!

To Phil and all of our nation's Purple Heart recipients... how do we ever thank you?
Simply.......... We must never forget!

Wednesday Hero

Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford
332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron


Senior Airman Kimberly Bickford performs a pre-load check July 28 on an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, to ensure the cable that releases the bomb is operational.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Some Things are Best Left Alone

There is so much rich history to Dog Tags...
At the American Civil War battle of Cold Harbor in 1864, before Union troops made a frontal assault on Confederate trenches, they wrote their names on pieces of paper and pinned them to their uniforms.. They did not want to be forgotten.
During the Spanish American War, Chaplain Charles E Pierce believed the identity of war dead should be practiced on a more scientific basis. He suggested a central collection agency where mortuary records would be gathered, and the addition of an "Identity Disk" in every Soldier's combat field kit. This "Identity Disk," in 1899,is considered the first institutionalized identification tag.
U-S troops were issued identification tags en masse in 1908 and the tags have been a required part of the uniform ever since.
The nickname for the ID tag was first coined by William Randolph Hearst who printed unfavorable stories about the New Deal and President Roosevelt in 1936. Having heard the Social Security Administration was considering the use of a nameplate for personal identification, Hearst called it a "Dog Tag". Recently, the U.S. Army stopped using the term "Dog tags", replacing it with "I.D tags".
The dog tag is a daily reminder that in the professions of arms, to be forgotten is the cruelest fate. The dog tag is more than 100 years old, and this little piece of metal connects us to those slain defenders. To each it might mean something different, but to the millions of service members, past and present who were required to wear one, the Dog Tag is a symbol of service and personal sacrifice. Most importantly, it is a reminder of the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice.
These small pieces of metal hanging from the neck of every servicemember are intended to help identify remains of the fallen and have been a uniform requirement since World War I. Science has come a long way since then and future identification system just might render them obsolete, but the name, image, and personal connection many feel to their tags go beyond their simple, primary purpose.
Thanks to "Pray For Our Soldiers" bulletin for this rich history lesson.

In this ever-changing, high-tech world we live in... aren't some things best left alone?

We must never forget!

25 Million Hits!

A sixteen year old by the name of Lizzie Palmer put together a YouTube video to honor our troops. Her amazing story was on the news this morning. She receives e-mails from the troops thanking her for this video, her response is simply she wishes to honor them the way they deserved to be honored.
Please take 5 minutes to watch this video, it will be well worth it. If you scroll to the bottom of my blog and pause the playlist, you can hear the Remember Me music as well.

Good stuff!

Today, John will graduate from FTAC! He told me last night, it has been a tough couple of weeks.... so many briefings! Next week he goes back to work!
After graduation today, John will take off for a weekend of fishing! Fishing has always been one of John's favorite activities, since he was just a little guy! I remember when he was as young as four, taking him to a friend's pond and John would be perfectly content fishing for hours! While I was always a bit squeamish about touching the flopping fish, John would gently take it and remove the hook. He has always had the utmost respect for fish and wildlife, passions I hope he holds on to.
I wish him a fun and relaxing weekend!
So...next week, it is back to work for John! Along with his regular duties, he must also attend more briefings completing his TS Security Clearance. Finally! It has been a bumpy road to get to this point, a road that appeared to have an enormous STOP sign at some curves! I have said it so many times before and will say it once again....my son is where he is meant to be, doing what he is meant to do! No doubt, this journey will see some disappointments, but I am thankful nothing has caused any U-Turns! Next week also holds another trip to the dentist for John. As I mentioned earlier, John must have his wisdom teeth extracted. GULP! This is where I need to make certain not to step into that time-machine! My need to think of him as a four year old will remain with happy memories of him fishing, taking stuff apart and trying to put it back together, above all simply being my adorable little boy.

John, I do love you so!