Something happened today, something that I have felt (and others) was long over due - a memorial to the soliders killed in, in the US... and organized by the US troops they served with.
4 Canadians killed in friendly fire incident honoured in U.S. service
http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/cpress..._fire_memorial
Quote:
CP) - Four Canadians killed by U.S. friendly fire in
Afghanistan were honoured Monday by American soldiers in a service that left family members in tears.
"This is a brotherhood and this is proof," said a shaken Richard Leger, father of Sgt. Marc Leger, who died on April 18, 2002, when an American fighter pilot mistakenly dropped a bomb on Canadians conducting a military exercise.
"It's a family and we're part of that family."
The names of the four, including Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer, Pte. Richard Green and Pte. Nathan Smith, were added to a memorial on the Fort Campbell base in Kentucky, home to Task Force Rakkasan, which served in the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism in Kandahar.
With the strains of a lone bugler mixing with helicopters flying overhead, Col. Michael Steele paid tribute to the Canadians and three American soldiers who died in
Iraq.
"Freedom is not free," he told the crowd, including 180 members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 187th Infrantry Regiment in fatigues and berets and 14 members of the 3rd Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group, based in Edmonton.
"Anyone who fights with us is a brother," said Steele. We come here to remember, not so much to grieve for the fallen, but rather to lift them up."
Relatives of the soldiers, who received regimental plaques, grew emotional during the ceremony.
"It's not a political gesture," said Nathan Smith's father, Lloyd. "This is coming from the men on the ground. This is coming from the heart. It's very important for our sons to be recognized by the rank and file."
It was the first time that names of non-U.S. soldiers were added to the Rakkasan memorial honouring Americans who died in conflicts stretching back to the Second World War.
Maj. Harry Schmidt, the Illinois National Guard pilot who dropped the bomb on the Canadians, was found guilty last year of derelection of duty. He was reprimanded, lost a month's pay and won't fly air force jets again.
The Legers framed a copy of the reprimand and hung it over their fireplace.
"There is no such thing as closure for us," said Richard. "Remembrance Day is always going to be there for us."
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This is exactly the type of respect and memorial that would have served to lessen the pain and/or bad blood that the "friendly-fire" caused. The only thing better would have been an apology or even acknowledgement of guilt by "Schmidt that fuck'in sack of shit" <spit> (as he is officially termed in all messes... and also by Prince Andrew
)
My only complaint was that it took too long to clear it with "higher-ups".