Soldiers pay respects to fallen comrades

Photo By Christina McCann | Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., mourn fallen comrades during a memorial ceremony at Patrol Base Yusufiyah, Iraq, Monday. Four U.S. Soldiers and a 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division soldier were killed in a May 12 attack. Another U.S. Soldier was captured and later killed by terrorists. Two more U.S. troops are still missing.  

IRAQ

05.30.2007

Story by Christina McCann 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

Spc. Chris McCann
2nd BCT PAO, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI)

FORWARD OPERATING BASE YUSUFIYAH, Iraq – The 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., has worked and trained with the Iraqi army and Monday, they mourned together.

In Yusufiyah, Iraq, six fallen comrades were honored. The fallen were the four U.S. Soldiers and an Iraqi soldier killed during a May 12 attack. A U.S. Soldier was also captured during the same attack and later killed. Two U.S. troops are still missing.

While the search efforts for their missing comrades continue, the 4-31 "Polar Bears" Soldiers and the 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division soldiers remembered those who were killed in the line of duty with the traditional remarks, rifle salute, and last honors.

Sgt. 1st Class James Connell, Sgt. Anthony Schober, Cpl. Joseph Anzack Jr., Cpl. Daniel Courneya, Cpl. Christopher Murphy and Sabah Zarak Shahatay were each represented by a photo, a pair of boots, and an upright rifle topped with a helmet. As friends and comrades approached, many laid down cigarettes, challenge coins, name tapes, and other items – traditional parting gifts given at memorials.

"I never thought that I'd talk about someone and say 'he fought and died with honor,'" said 1st Lt. Morgan Spring-Glace, a Worcester, Mass., native, and Company D platoon leader. Spring-Glase has led the platoon since February.

"Sgt. 1st Class Connell believed that if you talk to the people, they will provide you with information and protect you. He was not wrong, it's just that these people weren't ready for his caliber of humanity.

"Sgt. Schober sought mentorship from his platoon and section sergeants, and improved for it. He refused to resort to brutish, unthinking methods. He wanted to convey the same mentorship to his men. He told us all that if he had to die, he wanted to die fighting," said Spring-Glace.

"Cpl. Courneya and his wife Jennifer were devoted to each other...when he needed strength, he drew it from that bond of love between himself and his wife," he said.

"Murphy prided himself on his skill with a machine gun – which was formidable," said Spring-Glace. "And Cpl. Anzack had great physical strength, and a growing experience with combat operations. But on talking to him, I discovered a thoughtful and analytical man ..."

"I am ashamed to say I did not know Sabah Zarak Shahatay. He fought admirably and died with honor, and I can only hope that he will accept my apology that I am not able to suitably honor him," Spring-Glace said.

Chaplain (Capt.) Jeffrey Bryan, who serves 4-31, offered some words of comfort to the Soldiers left behind.

"The men we now honor, the men we have regarded so sincerely as our own, have been shared with the free people of the world," said Bryan. "I have stood with the Soldiers of Company D's first platoon many times and am always in awe of their steadfastness. Understandably, they mourn the tragic loss of their Soldiers, but they have a stern momentum that the enemy will never overcome. They will not defeat our will to fight, and they certainly will not defeat us in spirit."

• Date Taken: 05.30.2007
• Date Posted: 05.30.2007 14:00
• Story ID: 10594
• Location: IQ