Enjoy Your Barbecues...You're Worth It - Memorial Day 2018
/I wish I could say I that I clearly remember their faces or the talks we had. I wish I could say that each and every day I am reminded of their sacrifice, and live my life to honor their memories. I wish all those things were true...but they are not.
That is why I am grateful for today. A day where we as a nation pause to honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. A day where we celebrate, not mourn, the men and women who watered Liberty's tree with their own blood. I am thankful for a day which helps bring the memories back into focus. A day which brings back tears, but also a heart of gratitude for the greatest men I know.
Gino was one of those men. I met Gino while training for my first deployment. Gino was from our battalion's Weapon Company. Shortly into our training, our Battalion Commander broke up some of the teams from Weapon's Company, and placed them with some of the line platoons. Gino's small team was attached to our squad. After a few months the plan for Weapon's Company changed once again, and Gino's team was reunited with his original platoon.
In those few months a bond was formed. Gino enjoyed educating himself and reading books, which led to some great conversations. The months were short and had very little down time, but in that time I found Gino to be one of the men I enjoyed spending time with. I was sad to see him go back to his company prior to our deployment.
November 11, 2004, is a day which I will never forget. The Battle of Fallujah had been raging four straight days. Some of the combatants fled the Fallujah area straight to our area. During this time we were getting mortared and rocketed multiple times per day. Our tempo was high, our stress was high, and everything felt like a controlled chaos. On November 11th, in the midst of the craziness, our Platoon Commander stopped us as we returned from patrol to inform us that Weapons Company was ambushed while on patrol. They fought the enemy bravely, and successfully, but in the midst of the battle Gino had been hit in the shoulder by enemy fire. The round was deflected by his bone and lodged itself in his heart. Gino died on the medevac.
Gino was one of sixteen men who died during our two deployments. He was just one of almost 4500 deaths which occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom. And he is just one of the almost 1.4 million war deaths since the founding of our nation. But for me he is the most important. He is important not because I think he is the most brave (although he was very brave), or one of the greatest Marines to walk this earth, but because he makes the sacrifice which has been made for our freedom tangible to me. He gives those that fought and died for this country a face. He reminds me that those men and women had families. He reminds me that there are families now that pray for the safe return of their sons and daughters. He reminds me of O'Donnell, who I met over chow the night before he was killed on patrol. He reminds me of my infantry training bunkmate, Creager, who was killed in action shortly after his training. He reminds me that this life is short and that every day should be lived to the fullest.
Like I said at the start, I wish I could remember those things daily, but the truth is that I don't. Life happens: family, work, trials, celebrations, etc. That is why I am grateful for Memorial Day. A day which forces me to pause, remember, and bring everything back into focus.
Gino not only gave me the gift of freedom...he gave me a heart of gratitude. I hope to live in light of that more in the years to come. He gave that same gift to you. So today, enjoy your barbecues and parades. Enjoy your day off of work with your family. Enjoy the beach and your campfire. Enjoy your freedoms. You were worth it!
In memory of the Mad Ghosts of 2/24 who gave their lives to their country:
Sgt Adams
Lcpl Ramey
Lcpl Nowacki
Cpl Hammond
Cpl Giannopoulos "Gino"
Lcpl Cantafio
Cpl Prening
Cpl Nelson
SSgt Simon
Lcpl O'Donnell
Lcpl Warner
Cpl Warns
Lcpl Wichlacz
Lcpl Wyatt
Lcpl Vroman
Lcpl Opicka