KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Over 200 soldiers of Forward Operating Base Frontenac and members of the 713th Engineer Company gathered to attend the memorial ceremony of two of their own, U. S. Army Spc. Sergio Perez and Spc. Nicholas Taylor, at FOB Frontenac July 21.

“Their deaths remind us of the brutality of war and of the eternal truth that freedom is never free,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Cleveland, 223rd Engineer Battalion commander, speaking to those in attendance.

In November 2011, Perez and Taylor deployed to Afghanistan with the 713th Engineer Company, Indiana National Guard. During the memorial, their leadership and closest friends shared their experiences with them.

U.S. Army Cpt. Cecil Pendelton, 713th En. Co. commander, said, “We are fortunate, better men, and Soldiers that our heroes chose to stand and fight beside us.”

Perez and Taylor were close friends, as many of the men of the 713th noted prior to the start of the Memorial Ceremony.

“We called them the ‘Two Live Crew’, the wild dark side of 1st Platoon,” commented U. S. Army Staff Sgt. Alston, 1st Platoon Sergeant, during his eulogy. “Spc. Perez, along with his pals Spc. Allard, Spc. Bogacz and Spc. Taylor, exemplified the type of brotherhood that comes with being deployed, and the bond that comes from sharing trying times.”

Alston went on to say about Perez, “I always looked at Sergio as the son I never had. He had an aura about him that showed confidence, and he was proud of who he was and what he stood for.”

U.S. Army Spc. Chad Allard spoke about his friend Taylor.

“I met Nick in February of last year. If you knew us, you would have thought we were friends since we were kids,” he reflected on a memory of the deployment, providing an example of the close bond of Perez and Taylor. “I remember the huge smile on Taylor’s face when he woke me up to tell me that he and Perez got the house in Fort Wayne, Indiana.”

The close bond of the 713th Engineers was represented as Spc. Allard said “I know I speak for the rest of the 713th when I say, that you will be missed greatly and never forgotten.”

Perez is survived by his parents, Sergio E. Perez and Veronica Orzoco. Taylor is survived by his parents, Timothy and Stephania Taylor. They will be missed and never forgotten by their brothers in arms of the 713th Engineer Company, and the men and women of the 223rd Engineer Battalion and the 411th Engineer Brigade.

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