Memorial Day and the 48th Brigade Combat Team // May 28, 2007
On this Memorial Day, I wanted to pause and remember the soldiers that I went to war with. Some friends of ours came down for the holiday and we toured the Warriors Walk on Ft Stewart. The walk was designed after OIF I to have a living memorial for soldiers that have been KIA during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
There are 26 48th BCT Soldiers Memorialized there, 13 of which are soldiers for whom I was their chaplain and did their memorial ceremony.
From 2/121st Infantry:
MERCER, SGT. CHAD, 25, Waycross, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
BRUNSON, SPC. JACQUES, 30, Americus; 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
FULLER, STAFF SGT. CARL, 44, Covington; 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
KINLOW, SGT. JAMES, 35, Thomson, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
THOMAS, SGT. JOHN, 33, Valdosta, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment
ANDERSON, SGT. 1ST CLASS VICTOR, 39, Ellaville, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
HAGGIN, SGT. JONATHON, 26, Kingsland, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
JONES, STAFF SGT. DAVID, 45, Augusta, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
SHELLEY, SGT. RONNIE, 34, Valdosta, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
From the 648th Engineers:
GANEY, SPC. JERRY L. JR., 29, Folkston, 648th Engineer Battalion.
GIBBS, SPC. MATHEW, 21, Ambrose, 648th Engineer Battalion.
WARREN, SGT. 1st CLASS CHARLES, 36, Duluth, 648th Engineer Battalion
MERCK, STAFF SGT. DENNIS, 38, Evans, 878th Engineer Battalion.
In addition to these heroes, I would include, "Nelson" one of our interpreters. I conducted his memorial ceremony in the 410 Chapel at Camp Striker. He used to come to our services. He loved the singing. Many a night, we would sit and talk. To my knowledge, he never accepted Christ, but he certainly knew the way. He was killed by mortar shrapnel during a raid in sector. Myself and my XO, MAJ Buck Bennett, carried his body back to the FOB. I will never forget him. He sacrificed his own life for a better Iraq. He believed in what we are doing there.
If you ever have the opportunity to walk the Warrior's Walk here on Ft Stewart, you owe yourself and these soldiers the experience of remembering them.
Categories
Back Home , Images , Memorial Ceremony/Services , Reflections , Stewart6 Comments
Leave a comment
Chaplain Jon Fisher
Nice memorial, Jon. Your tribute to "Nelson" is very appropriate, too.
Most folks may not notice that you have provided a link within this Memorial Day message to your stories that you posted so many months ago, when you first experienced these soldiers' losses personally and as their Chaplain. [Click on the names to be taken to Jon's story of their first Memorial Day.]
I'm in tears all over again, re-reading them.
And again I am reminded of what a terrific writer you are, what a huge heart you have, and how very blessed your troups in Iraq were to have had you as their Chaplain.
God bless you always, Chaplain Fisher.
-Jean in SC
Jon, I ran across your website that I had long forgotten. It's great to see you keep it up. I came up way short on trying to read your Memorial Day tributes to your guys in 2-121 and 648. Those days are still painful. I've moved on. Folks should know how brave you were. I remember some brand new Chaplain staying a night in my room and turning it into a month (much like feeding a stray cat I suppose). At 26 (I think you were at the time) to have your masters in devinity and zero military experience was quite a combination for what we were going up against. But you had all the maturity of someone twice your age. You were far from stoic. I saw your fatigue. I saw your self doubt. And yet, you continued to perform one of the most difficult duties on the battlefield. I saw you become a strong man and it seemed like it was overnight. I could see that you were in pain, but when your soldiers turned to you for help, you turned to God and carried on. I'm proud to have served with you. Happy Independance Day, Brother.
what about the soldiers that were killed that were with the 148th Forward Support Battallion
Philip A Dodson Jr.
Philip Travis
Marcus Futrell
They were not my soldiers and I did not do their memorial services. If you'll note, there is a link under the "26 soldiers memorialized there" that will take you to ALL the Fallen Heros of the 48th BCT. Thanks for listing the Fallen of the 148th. Lets list them all:
ANDERSON, SGT. 1ST CLASS VICTOR, 39, Ellaville, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
BRUNSON, SPC. JACQUES, 30, Americus; 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
DINGLER, SPC. JOSHUA, 19, Hiram,1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment.
DODSON, SGT. PHILIP JR., 42, Forsyth, 148th Support Battalion.
DRAUGHN, SGT. GEORGE R. JR., 29, Decatur, 108th Cavalry Regimen.
EDWARDS, SGT. 1ST CLASS AMOS C., Jr., 41, Savannah, 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery Regiment.
FULLER, STAFF SGT. CARL, 44, Covington; 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
FUTRELL, SPC. MARCUS, 20, Macon, 148th Support Battalion.
GANEY, SPC. JERRY L. JR., 29, Folkston, 648th Engineer Battalion.
GIBBS, SPC. MATHEW, 21, Ambrose, 648th Engineer Battalion.
GILLICAN, SGT. CHARLES C. III, 35, Brunswick, 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery Regiment.
GRIJALVA, SPC. JAMES T., 26, Burbank, Ill. He was part of the Illinois National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment assigned to the 48th Brigade.
HAGGIN, SGT. JONATHON, 26, Kingsland, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
HOLLAR, STAFF SGT. ROBERT L. JR., 35, Griffin, 108th Cavalry Regiment.
JONES, STAFF SGT. DAVID, 45, Augusta, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
KINLOW, SGT. JAMES, 35, Thomson, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
MERCER, SGT. CHAD, 25, Waycross, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
MERCK, STAFF SGT. DENNIS, 38, Evans, 878th Engineer Battalion.
NEWMAN, SPC CARLTON, T., 21, Landover, Md.; He was part of the Maryland National Guard’s 115th Infantry Regiment assigned to the 48th Brigade.
SAYLOR, SGT. PAUL, 21, Norcross, 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment.
SHELLEY, SGT. RONNIE, 34, Valdosta, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.
STOKELY, SPC. MICHAEL, 23, Sharpsburg, 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment.
STRICKLAND, SGT. THOMAS, 27, Douglasville, 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment
THOMAS, SGT. JOHN, 33, Valdosta, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment
TRAVIS, STAFF SGT. PHILIP, 41, Snellville, 148th Support Battalion
WARREN, SGT. 1st CLASS CHARLES, 36, Duluth, 648th Engineer Battalion
Several we former servicemen and volunteers had the privilege of meeting Jeff Brunson, father of the late Specialist Jacques (Gus) Brunson of A Company 121st Infantry today at the Gwinnett County Veterans Memorial Museum in Lawrenceville. It was a great experience to meet such a fine American who truly loved and misses his soldier son. We all owe a debt that cannot be repaid to those who have died while defending and preserving our great land. Jeff gave us a picture of Gus, a truly impressive, cleancut soldier and National Guardsman. we are so fortunate to have such men and women willing to serve our country and even to die for it. We also miss
Gus even though we never had the opportunity to meet
him. God Bless him and his Dad, Mother, and children.
Gene Bivings, Snellville, GA