SGT Jack Hennessy ( http://www.iraqwarheroes.org/hennessy.htm )
I knew Jack from Basic Training at Fort Benning, GA. He was a good friend of my good friend Billy Ratcliff and we all hung out together on pass and on our (scant) free time. They were both in 1st platoon and I was in 4th. Our two platoons had a pretty nasty feud going on all through basic and when it was statistically (overall platoon marksmanship, PT, individual awards, testing, etc.) determined which platoon was best (4th, of course), he led a prank raid on our FTX (Field Training Exercise) site that resulted in not only their resounding defeat, but his personal shame (he face-planted into a patch of poison oak). Despite all that, he had a tremendous sense of humor and helped me to - finally - pass the sit-ups on my PT test.
Our mutual friend Billy informed me that Jack was killed when his checkpoint was attacked in Baghdad in October 2004. His neighborhood chose to honor him in a wonderful way (see: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20100916/news/309169776/ ).
SGT Brett Swank ( http://www.iraqwarheroes.org/swank.htm and http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/uticaod/obituary.aspx?n=brett-d-swank&pid=3098408 )
I met Brett when we were shuffled into our Training Platoons at 2/19 in Fort Benning, GA. I have to admit I didn't care for him much; it was mutual. In fact we almost came to blows once (such is often the case when you lump 56 men into an enclosed space) over something...I cannot recall what exactly now. He was an exceptional shot and very good at PT. In short, everything an Infantry soldier should be (and neither of which I was...hmmm). I remember he came to notoriety when a picture of his girlfriend arrived and he was showing it around to everyone, and somebody remarked that she looked an awful lot like another guy in our platoon. It was true, she was a dead ringer for this guy (who shall remain nameless...No, it was not me) and it got so bad that the soldier in question went to the Drill Sergeants to have them ask us to stop calling him 'Swank's chick'. It was too funny...
I stumbled upon news of Brett's death when I was looking up another friend who I hadn't heard from in a while (Larry Sixberry was his name, and he is fine). He was killed in Iraq in January of 2005 by an IED; just two months before his 22nd birthday. The news struck me in an altogether different way than Jack's and Kip's (see below). While I didn't particularly care for Brett, I absolutely respected him as a fellow soldier and the world is - truly - a lesser place without him and other men of his caliber and their 'other's first' mentality. His community chose to honor him as well. ( http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x1850234543/40-attend-renaming-of-road-for-soldier )
SGT Kip Jacoby ( http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/united-states/kip-allen-jacoby/ )
Kip was an amazing young man. I had the opportunity to know him for a few years in the civilian world of Good ol' Pompano Beach. He came to FBC Pompano with some mutual friends and we had many opportunities to hang out and talk together. I remember when he first came up to me saying how he wanted to enlist - at that time it was the Air Force - and I have said before ( http://edpurchaseiv.blogspot.com/2011/05/7th-post-my-thoughts-on-osama.html ) I feel somewhat responsible for his final decision.
What I remember most about Kip was his love for living! He was the best local skateboarder many people knew. He loved his music. He loved to drive very fast. In fact, he knew of a gas station waaaaaay out in the Everglades that sold higher octane gasoline than anywhere else and would repeatedly drive out there to fill his tank. He was a great listener and I knew he would make a great soldier. His loyalty to his friends, his love of country and his eagerness to serve was proof enough of that.
Kip was killed during Operation Red Wings (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Red_Wings ) in June 2005. As you will read, it is truly one of the more harrowing tales of the war. No word on whether or not Pompano Beach will honor him officially. Hmmm...that may be something to look into...
On this day, I think of these men. I remember our interactions (both good and bad) and I speak a silent prayer for them and their loved ones. I am sure some of you know others who have served and fallen both in OIF/OEF and in the other wars/conflicts that mark (mar?) our nation's storied past. On this day, I would ask you to please do the same for them.
"The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."
-Gen. Douglas MacArthur
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