We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

— Moina Michael

 

Lucky is the generation for which Memorial Day is a holiday to honor the fallen of wars past. We are not so blessed.

Memorial Day 2008 is fraught with fresh graves, with grief untempered by the passage of time. This is the cost of freedom and it has always been high.

As we here at home begin our three-day weekends, plan our barbecues and our trips to the beach, let us pause, if only for a moment, to remember those who will not be coming home from Afghanistan, or Iraq.

Their number totaled 4,563 as of Friday, young men and women from hometowns across America who served their country in the Army, the Marines, the Air Force, the Navy, and the National Guard.

They are Lt. Jeffrey A. Ammon, 37, of Orem, Utah, who died May 20, as a result of injuries suffered from an improvised explosive device in the Aband District, Afghanistan. 

–1st Lt. Jeffrey F. Deprimo, 35, of Pittston, Pa., who died May 20 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device;

— Lt. Col. Joseph A. Moore, 54, of Boise, Idaho, who died of natural causes May 20 in Djibouti.

— Master Sgt. Davy N. Weaver, 39, of Barnesville, Ga., who died May 18 in Qalat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device;

 — Pvt. Branden P. Haunert, 21, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who died May 18 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device;

— Cpl. William J. L. Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss., who died May 19 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

— Sgt. John K. Daggett, 21, of Phoenix, Ariz., who died May 15 in Halifax, Canada, of wounds suffered May 1 in Baghdad, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle.

— Staff Sgt. Victor M. Cota, 33, of Tucson, Ariz., who died May 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Kadamiyah, Iraq, May 13.

— Cpl. Jessica A. Ellis, 24, of Bend, Ore., who died May 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when her vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device; 

—  Pvt. Matthew W. Brown, 20, of Zelienople, Pa., who died May 11 in Asadabad, Afghanistan, from injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident;

— Sgt. Joseph A. Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind., who died May 10 in Al Asad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident;

 — Pfc. Ara T. Deysie, 18, of Parker, Ariz., who died May 9 in Paktia Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his unit came under rocket-propelled grenade fire;

  — Spc. Mary J. Jaenichen, 20, of Temecula, Calif., who died May 9 in Iskandariyah, Iraq, of a non-combat related injury;

 — Sgt. Isaac Palomarez, 26, of Loveland, Colo., who died May 9 in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his patrol encountered an improvised explosive device and came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire;

— Cpl. Jeremy R. Gullett, 22, of Greenup, Ky., and Staff Sgt. Kevin C. Roberts, 25, of Farmington, N. M., who died May 7 in the Sabari District, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

 —  Pfc. Aaron J. Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif., who died May 6 in Al Anbar, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came under small arms fire while conducting cordon and search operations;

 — Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas, who died May 6 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade attack;

— Four Marines, Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, 22, of McComb, Miss.;  Cpl. Miguel A. Guzman, 21, of Norwalk, Calif.;  Lance Cpl. James F. Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio  and Sgt. Glen E. Martinez, 31, of Boulder, Colo., who died May 2 in Al Anbar province, Iraq, supporting combat operations.

— Pfc. Corey L. Hicks, 22, of Glendale, Ariz., who died May 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. 

— Spc. Jeffrey F. Nichols, 21, of Granite Shoals, Texas, who died May 1 in Baghdad from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

If the list seems lengthy, please understand, these are the men and women who died this month in service to their country. The youngest was 18, the oldest 54. Most were in their early 20s.

They, and those who have gone before them, are not statistics, not numbers, not “the faces of war,” not fodder for pundits who pontificate as to whether their missions were proper or just.

They are sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. They are fresh-faced teens who enlisted right out of high school and seasoned vets who served multiple deployments.

They chose to serve their country. They planned to come home to the family and friends who now mourn.

They, and all of our war dead, should be remembered this Memorial Day. Their service, their sacrifice, should not go unmarked.

In the Cape, a Memorial Day observance will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in the Honor Garden of the Coral Ridge Funeral Home and Cemetery.

Guest speakers will include Florida State Rep. Gary Aubuchon of Cape Coral; Bob Reiser, past commander of VFW Post 8463, and Cape Coral Mayor Eric Feichthaler.

A horse drawn military caisson, as used at Arlington National Cemetery, will participate in the opening ceremony, and a horse drawn hearse will be on display. American flags will be handed out by the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. A ceremonial “fly over” by a UH-1 “Huey” helicopter also will take place.

Coral Ridge Funeral Home & Cemetery, which marks Memorial Day with services every year, is located at 1630 S.W. Pine Island Road, Cape Coral.

Our thanks goes to those who serve. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.



— Breeze editorial