Photo By Dan Grubb | Angela O. Kahn who passed earlier this year was a U.S. Army Civilian Corps Licensed...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, NC -- There is no better time to honor fallen heroes than Memorial Day and that’s exactly what Fort Bragg’s Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) did on Wednesday, May 21. Families, friends and colleagues gathered to show gratitude and respect to one of its Soldiers and a Department of the Army Civilian who have departed within the past year.
The annual event, held in the week leading up to Memorial Day is often an emotional one and is held in the SRU’s Tranquility Garden, a spot lined with rose bushes planted in memory of their fallen Soldiers.
”This is a time-honored tradition designed to help find closure after losing our teammates and Soldiers who passed away while in recovery or while working at the Soldier Recovery Unit,” says Lt. Col. John Radnoczi, Commander of the SRU. “We purposefully have this ceremony coincide with the historic Memorial Day weekend so that we can highlight the sacrifice of the Soldiers and Civilians who gave so much for the love of this great nation.”
Staff Sgt. Johnathon Daniel Maine, who passed last summer, was a U.S. Army Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic with eight Years of Military Service. He served over seven years as a Satellite Communications System Operator-Maintainer in the US Army, enlisting in 2016 at the age of 18. His assignments included 1st Special Forces Group in Camp Zama, Japan; Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Liberty, NC (November 2019 to July 2023); and 2nd Security Forces Assistance Brigade, Fort Bragg, NC, before arriving at the Soldier Recovery Unit, Fort Bragg.
Staff Sgt. Maine’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, and numerous other commendations and service medals. He was passionate about the outdoors, including fishing and vehicle repair, and was known for his infectious laughter and warm smile.
Angela O. Kahn who passed earlier this year was a U.S. Army Civilian Corps Licensed Clinical Social Worker 17 Years of Civil Service. Born in Robeson County in 1965, Angela dedicated her life to service, most notably through her 17-year career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Womack Army Medical Center, from which she had recently retired. She was a beacon of compassion, a devoted mother to Solomon Smith, and someone who truly "made the world a better place," often found worshipping at New Beginning Worship Center in Dunn, North Carolina.
”It is important that we recognize these people because they served this nation, organization as fighters and caregivers,” said Dalles Gasque, Operations and Training Specialist at the SRU. So we honor them as do other fallen comrades.”
Chaplain Monserrate Vergara Soto says that while they may be gone, they will never be forgotten. “The laying of a wreath at a memorial site is a ritual that occurs across the United States of America and is understood in every city, town, and neighborhood,” he says. “This act symbolizes our honor and respect for those who have served our Armed Forces and their families who have endured sacrifices daily. It is a solemn and symbolic gesture of remembrance and appreciation for the sacrifices made by our fallen teammates.”
“Johnathan and Angela were two of the most courageous warriors that I knew,” adds Radnoczi. “They were of the utmost professionals and fought their battles with dignity and grace to the very end. To highlight a meeting with Ms. Khan she was more worried about not meeting me face-to-face than she was fighting cancer. When I first met her, it was over the internet. She started crying because she could not be in the office to physically brief me. She was more concerned about that than her illness. Johnathon was an avid outdoorsman, and fisherman but most of all, a beloved husband, a loving son, and a devoted Solider who served this great nation with dignity and passion while assigned to units in Japan and Fort Bragg.”
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2025 11:52 |
| Story ID: | 498584 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 259 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, SRU Remembers Fallen Comrades, by Dan Grubb, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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