Tuesday, April 24, 2007

My Brother is getting out of the Army - Hooray!

Even though I am a huge fan of Cleveland and all things related to the town and its sports, there is another group that I am an even bigger fan of: The U.S. Army. My brother is an Airborne Ranger and was an Infantry Officer in the 82nd for 4 years. I read this from the AP today:


The nine U.S. soldiers killed when a truck bomb exploded next to their patrol base in Iraq were all paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, the division said Tuesday. Twenty of their colleagues were wounded in the attack.
Maj. Tom Earnhardt, a spokesman for the division at Fort Bragg, said it was the highest number of casualties for the division since the Iraq war began.
It was also the single deadliest attack on ground forces since Dec. 1, 2005, when a roadside bomb killed 10 Marines and wounded 11 on a foot patrol near Fallujah. An insurgent group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility, according to an Internet-posted statement Tuesday.
The soldiers were members of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Earnhardt said. A civilian interpreter was also wounded in Monday's explosion.
"Fifteen of the wounded were superficial and they were treated on the spot and returned to duty," Earnhardt said. "Five were evacuated to a military hospital, but none of the five have life-threatening injuries."
Earnhardt said the unit deployed in August to Iraq. It is one of three of the division's four brigade combat teams now in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The identities of the soldiers killed Tuesday were not immediately released. Earnhardt said the families were still being notified.


It's stuff like this that makes me pause for a second and think about all of our men and women in harm's way. My brother's last day is today and he's done more and seen more than I can possibly imagine. He's a hero in every sense of the word and never brags or talks about what he's done, so I'll do it for him. His and every other soldier's sacrifice allows me to sit in my office and make asinine (but true) comments about the armpit of America and lead an otherwise normal life. I am glad he's getting out and taking some well deserved rest in Cleveland. Meeting his men was a bigger thrill for me than meeting any of the professional athletes I have ever come across (even Felix Fermin). Anyways, not to get too mushy, but thank a soldier if you know one or see one. I hope to post a pic of him when I have a chance later today.


1 comment:

Dee and Khara said...

God Bless your brother and his commrades, and thank him for me.