Photo By Michael Vanpool | Staff Sgt. Ebony Wright and 1st Lt. Terrill Gant place a brick for Pfc. Amy Sinkler,...... read more read more
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By Spc. Michael Vanpool
101st Sustainment Brigade
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – The 101st Sustainment Brigade “Lifeliners” rededicated the memorial outside the brigade headquarters for the Soldiers lost during their recent deployment, early morning May 24.
The memorial stands as a pillar with an inscribed quote from U.S. House Rep. Dan Lipinski saying, “With courage and character, American Soldiers continue to put themselves on the line to defend our freedom, and so many have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
On the ground, a pattern of bricks create the brigade’s insignia, a four-pointed star with the playing card and torri gate symbols of the division’s infantry brigades.
During the sunrise ceremony, Lifeliners and families of the fallen Soldiers replaced 14 of the rust-colored bricks with new black bricks, each of which is etched with the soldier’s name, rank and dates of birth and death.
Some of the gold star families were here to place the bricks with their loved one’s name; the others were placed by an officer and non-commissioned officer with the brigade. One by one, they walked up to fill in the holes, giving the name a place that would be remembered.
“This time last year, this storied brigade was at the halfway point of its yearlong deployment to Afghanistan,” said Col. Michael Peterman, brigade commander, during the ceremony. “And while we were ultimately successful in accomplishing our goal, it did not come without a price. Fourteen of our fellow Lifeliners gave the ultimate sacrifice in support of this mission.”
The gold star families traveled from across the States, just as the brigade’s mixture of active-duty, reserve and guard units that made up the 101st Sustainment Brigade while they were deployed.
Seven of these soldiers deployed from Fort Campbell: Sgt. 1st Class Charles Lewis Adkins, Staff Sgt. Cynthia R. Taylor, Sgt. Linda L. Pierre, Sgt. Sonny Jade Moses, Sgt. James Michael Drought and SPC. Joseph B. Camper. They were all assigned the 101st Special Troops Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade.
The other seven fallen soldiers mobilized from Alaska, California, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. They were Capt. Charles Edward Ridgley Pfc. Amy Renee Sinkler, retired Master Sgt. Paul Almryde, Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Vangiesen, Staff Sgt. Brian K. Mowery, Sgt. Edward W. Koehler, Staff Sgt. Garrick L. Eppinger Jr., and Sgt. Carlo Eugenio.
“We will always be connected by our sense of history and unity of experience from this past deployment,” Peterman said. “And it's not the soldiers sitting here today; the families of our fallen comrades will forever be a part of our families through these shared experiences.”
The brigade continues to stay true, and help out the gold star families. Many of them may have never heard of the brigade before, mostly certainly never been to Fort Campbell. Now they are forever a part of the Lifeliner family.
“We are all united by a common sense of history,” Peterman said. “While we have mourned their loss, we remember their legacy and what it means to each of us, both personally and professionally. I was honored to have served with them, and would do so again if given the opportunity.”
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2012 17:13 |
| Story ID: | 89192 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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