Deployed soldiers, firemen raise flags, honor fallen

Photo By Sgt. Tresa L. Allemang | Soldiers from the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Sgt. 1st Class Kelly McFarlain, and Staff Sgt. Jarret Mouton, both of Lafayette, La., stand silently with the shadow of the American flag behind them, as each flag is flown for nine minutes, 11 seconds at the fire station, Sept. 11, on Camp Stryker, in Baghdad.  

IRAQ

09.11.2010

Story by Sgt. Tresa L. Allemang 

256th Brigade Combat Team, Louisiana Army National Guard

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq— Each U.S. flag, raised one at a time, flew for nine minutes, 11 seconds on Sept.11, at the Baghdad fire station. Both deployed soldiers and firemen paused from their daily routine to honor the fallen on the nine-year anniversary of the terrorist attack that devastated America.

The fire department located on Camp Stryker of the Victory Base Complex lowered their flag and joined U.S. troops in flying their flag in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice on and after Sept. 11, 2001.

Staff Sgt. Jarret Mouton and Sgt. 1st Class Kelly McFarlain, both from Lafayette, La., and both from Louisiana’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), along with the firemen, carefully raised, lowered and folded each flag after the allotted time.

“Taking the time to honor those who have fallen reminded me what their lives stood for,” said Mouton. “Their actions showed that they held true to the conviction that we share…that we will defend our friends, family and country at all costs from our enemies.”

The firemen and soldiers, like so many others on the anniversary of the terrorist attack, reminisced the day that would forever weigh heavy on the hearts and minds of the American people.

“It was humbling to witness the footage of the sacrifices made that day by our country's protectors: policemen and firemen, as well as the civilians and military who were involved,” said Mouton. “Their actions proved that we still have a great number of heroes and true-hearted people who strive to make America what it has always been, and should always be: the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Ricky W. Boykin, a fireman at Camp Stryker, stressed that, although 9/11 was indeed tragic, it is important to keep focus on the lives saved by those who gave their own to do so.

“They made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Boykin, who was the fire chief of the Summerfield Fire District Inc., in North Carolina at the time of the attacks. “Those 3,300 people saved over 45,000 people that morning, all within three hours. That is an accomplishment that is hard to achieve in a lifetime.”

McFarlain, who was also a fireman on 9/11, in Broussard, La., and now serves as a sheriff for the mayor’s cell on Camp Stryker, wears a bracelet on his right wrist engraved with the name of a close friend and fallen comrade, Staff Sgt. Robert Chiomento, who volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan in 2006.

“On days like today, he is one of the ones I think of more heavily,” said McFarlain. “The bracelet serves as a reminder of his sacrifice, and also serves as my encouragement. I haven’t taken it off since 2006.”

He said he and Chiomento worked together at the Non-commissioned Officers Academy in Ball, La., when Chiomento said he just didn’t feel fulfilled anymore.

“He stepped out of his comfort zone to join his comrades on the battlefield,” added McFarlain. “Though he lost his life, his bravery inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and do the same.”

Boykin said that in his 34 years of service, he has presided over many funerals of the fallen. This makes it difficult to explain why he and his brothers advance toward danger when others retreat, but he summed it up with the word “preservation.”

“We can’t forget that we are still reaping the benefits of those who made the ultimate sacrifice many years ago,” said the Streamwood, Ill., resident, as he spoke of previous wars. “Just as our future generations will reap the benefits of those who sacrifice today. One must have to have a great deal of respect for life to do a job like this. Our fallen brothers gave it all on that day, and New York showed us why they were the best…they gave the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the lives of others.”

• Date Taken: 09.11.2010
• Date Posted: 09.18.2010 07:40
• Story ID: 56531
• Location: IQ