I was able to attend the most recent memorial service for two more fallen soldiers from my batallion the 100th of the 442D. The two men were from the island of Saipan and had worked for most of the time at an Iraqi base call Mawntini or "My country" in english. I often times and still do work with the soldiers of the Iraqi fourth batallion that are stationed there.I will not mention the names of the fallen at this time since they were alive less than two weeks ago and it's not my place to do so, it's too soon.

The service itself was comforting to see, thousands of soldiers were there to pay their respects. The eulogies were well spoken and carefully presented. One of the saddest things to see at these memorials is the "Roll call", during the roll call several soldiers names are called out and they respond loudly, almost shouting, "Here First Seargeant, Go for Broke!". After a few members of the unit have been called out the names of the fallen soldiers are called out, three times with no response, no other names follow, only silence. The fallen are gone forever and will never be expected to make formation, at this point "Taps" is played and a salute is rendered. Every single soldier there had the honour of saluting the pictures of the fallen one last time. As a whole it is a fitting and beautiful goodbye.

I can not close this entry without sharing my most deep regret. In remembering the fallen at the memorial I kept remembering something many of us had said without really thinking. The job these men had for the first eight months in Iraq never really required them to go "Outside the Wire" and we often times were critical of those that stayed in the wire. We would feel that we were more deserving of recognition simply because we basically lived outside the wire daily, more exposure to danger, we felt, entitled us to some sort of bragging rights.

The fact of the matter is that the men of FOB Mauntini were just as ready as any other unit in Iraq to go into harms way and we are all entitled the same recognition. The two heroes did not for a split second hesitate to pick up their rifles and search for the enemy and as a result have paid the ultimate price for the freedom that millions enjoy. It is everyone here that matters and there ought not be a self imposed "pecking order". Still we are what we are, human, and therefore fallable.

I will forever regret being so critical of those that never leave the wire, they are just as prepared as I to "pay the price" and maybe I will be a better man because of it.