Photo By Sgt. Joshua Laidacker | Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. - On July 23, 2013, 1st Lt. Jonam Russell, a platoon leader with 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, was killed in action in Wardak province, Afghanistan.
“If we forget about them, slowly their memory will be lost; we can’t forget,” said Capt. Lars Harstad, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “We owe it to them to not let that sacrifice go unheralded.”
Soldiers of HHC, 3-7 Infantry, conducted a 10-mile ruck for Russell foot march on Fort Stewart, Ga., July 23, 2015.
Harstad described Russell as a genuine person and a leader with strong character, who was well known and liked.
“Outgoing, energetic, smart; he just wanted to do well,” said Harstad, who worked closely with Russell during the deployment. “He wanted to do well for his soldiers; he wanted to lead men.”
A group of soldiers who served with Russell started talking about an annual event because of the impact he made.
“Was it personal for me?” asked Harstad rhetorically. “Yeah, there’s no doubt about it, and what I wanted to do was make it personal for other guys.”
In the 2nd IBCT headquarters building there is a wall of heroes who have died in service to freedom, including Russell’s.
Harstad said for young soldiers, he wanted to back those photos with stories that relate them to those currently serving.
“Before today I didn’t know a lot about him,” said Spc. Chad Hammond, an infantryman with the Scout Platoon of HHC, 3-7 Inf. “A couple of the more senior guys who had been around him in person shared a lot of information with me.”
Harstad said some of the top performers in the company were given the honor of relaying the stories of Russ
ell and the soldiers that fell in the same event.
“We wanted to honor them and show our appreciation for everything they did for this country,” Hammond said.
Harstad could see a look of remembrance on leaders’ faces as each heroes’ story was told. He said he thought perhaps they were hearing the narrative of other friends and comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“If that happened to me, hopefully, one day somebody will honor me in this way,” said Hammond.
Harstad said many members of the quick response force that reacted to the attack two years ago are still in the 3-7 Inf., which has created a strong tie to this hero from 3-15 Inf.
“Russell, I can guarantee you, gave 110 percent to his guys,” Harstad said. “I think I would definitely consider him a success, and it’s not only because he got to lead men. It’s because he was a leader even when he was not in a leadership position.”
“He seems like a really motivated guy,” Hammond said. “Learning about him kind of gave me an idea of who he was, as a person, and I was glad that I was able to honor him today by doing this ruck march.”
Harstad gave soldiers the option to finish at 8.5 miles because of the spirit of the event, stopping to say, “I’m going to do my 10 miles and whoever wants to go with me can go.”
“And I heard in the background, ‘We’re with you, sir.’” Harstad said. “I’m really proud of them.”
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2015 09:54 |
| Story ID: | 171548 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 209 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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