The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Ksail101 on August 14, 2008, 08:25:48 AM
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Hey everyone. I know that I havent been on here much life is crazy and now when I do write its a morbid sad thing, sorry. On July 13, 2008 my friend Jason was killed in Afghanistan. Jason did 2 tours in Iraq for the reserves and was facing alot of demons. Just like all of us who face these demons felt like he had no place in society. People here in Seattle and Washington are not understanding or care about people like him and I. Like me after serving his country for 2 tours in Iraq he came home here and could not find a job, found people treated him different, and was constantly having the nightmares that follow. People here in Seattle treated him with disrespect as they do many of us that come home.
So his decided in October to do the only thing he felt was available to him and joined Active Duty. Just like me and others, he felt the only thing he was good at anymore was fighting. We who cared tried to tell him to stay and to fight these demons instead of giving into to them. On July 13 his base was hit in Afghan. It is confirmed that 200 Al Qaeda were fighting against the Americans. At times it was 200 on 20. 9 Americans in the end and over 100 Al Qaeda were dead. Jason was one of the Americans. The reports from the people who found him say they found him in a pile of Brass and his weapon seized up. While he was on his way out he shot every round he had until his weapon would not fire anymore. He is a true hero. I wish everyday that he never would have went back in and stayed here. I wish everyday that things would get better for us that have returned. I thought our country learned from Vietnam.
http://www.militarycity.com/valor/3630789.html (http://www.militarycity.com/valor/3630789.html)
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Hey K,
You can find solace and strength in knowing that your friend fought as a hero, and it just shows that the sacrifice for what we share and enjoy always continues. Thanks for sharing.
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Ksail,
We all have our own way of facing demons. Your friend chose a path different from you. Not better, not worse, just different. He is at peace now, remembered and honored by free men and women from 2 countries that are awed and humbled by his service and sacrifice.
You too, should know that those same people feel the same way about you. Take comfort in that fact and tell the demons to go back to the hell from whence they come. Stand tall, be proud, know that you are loved and appreciated by those that matter and to the devil with the rest of them. NEVER let the bastards get you down.
Haz
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I am proud and humbled by the sacrifices that our Brothers are making everyday. Please pass along our sympathies and support to you and your friend's family. Please feel free to contact me if you need to for any help. For every one person who shows disdain for a Brother there are at least 10 that say "Welcome home." May you and your friend find peace. Semper Fi
AT1(AW/NAC) USNR
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Ksail,
You and all vets past and presant that have seen and been though the hell of war, deal with those demons in ways they can only understand. As you will see, there are lots of us here that will help you in what ever you need.
Sorry to hear about your friend. He is one true hero!!!!!!
shooter32
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Ksail, I agree with Haz, Your friend simply chose a different method of dealing with his previous experiences. Jason has joined a select group that starts with the Farmers at Bunker Hill who stood up and STOPPED 2 assaults by what, was at the time, recognized as the finest Infantry in the world, This group includes the troops of G.A.Custer, found among piles of casings with bent or dented copper cases jammed in their rifles, it continues with the Marines of Wake Island who when overwhelmingly out numbered and out gunned, with no possibility of relief reinforcement or resupply radio'd Hawaii, "Send more Japs ". At Chosin Reservoir, in Korea, the First Marine Div. was surrounded, by 9 or 10 Chinese Divisions, They marched out, destroying several of those divisions and rendering the rest combat ineffective. Why ? Because brave men, fighting for their beliefs and their Buddies can be killed, but they can NEVER be defeated. And now they will live forever in the memories of those who cherish freedom and honor.
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+100 for Tom
(http://www.lpvrs.org/images/news/139/Funeral%20084_thumb.JPG)
For Jason and Ryan and all the Brothers gone before us,
We have the watch. We will not let you down.
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The Lord said, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God, your friend did his ultimate duty to bring peace.
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My thoughts are with you Ksail.
I hope you find the strength to give this loss and your experiences a place in your life which enables you not simply to move on with your life but to move on as a better and stronger person.
Ocin.
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Once again thank you all for the comments. I didnt even think about it when I was writing this. I wanted to just share the story, but I am lucky to have fallen into a group of people like you all. You are all the ones that care. I have been blessed by the friendships made here, and been given more tools to help fight my own demons. Thank you all once again. And I hope that stories like these are not forgot. I hope every man and woman that deploy can come home. And those that are civilians on the battle field can make it home from work to see their loved ones everyday.
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Ksail, Prayers are with you and your friend. When my friend died in Iraq in March, his sister sent me this poem from one of his stacks of stuff he kept in storage. It meant a lot to me, and I hope you know there are many people that will never forget.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle Autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush.
I am the birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die....
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Got on later than normal tonight, no real access at work (have access but closely monitored).
Ksail, I can't add anything to what our brothers here have said. Each of us has a path to follow, and it sounds like your friend did what he thought he had to do, regardless of the reason he did it.
He is a perfect example of John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Greater love hath no man than this, to give his life for another. All that spent brass undoubtedly saved more than a few lives.
Jason lived up to the best legacy there is, and may his memory be for a blessing always.
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Tis always been so...Brave men lay down their lives and all too often are forgotten too soon. I salute your friend and the brave stand they took that day. No one said it better than Kipling over a hundred years ago...
Tommy - Rudyard Kipling
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
..........O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
..........But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play -
..........The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
..........O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.
I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
..........For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
..........But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide -
..........The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
..........O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
..........Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
..........But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll -
..........The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
..........O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.
We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
..........While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
..........But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind -
..........There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
..........O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
..........For it's Tommy this an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
..........But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
..........An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
..........An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!
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There is nothing we can say or do to assuage the anguish that must surely be felt by Jason's family and friends.
The loss of a loved one is a heavy burden to carry.
But he died honorably, in his duty, with his boots on, and he is in his own peace now.
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My condolences to you and your friends family. Can't anything more than what everyone else has said.
Semper Fi
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My condolences to you and your friends family. Can't anything more than what everyone else has said.
Semper Fi
That pretty much says it all. Semper Fidelis, Always faithful. Faithful to his Country and his Buddies.
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This We'll Defend, the US Army Motto. That pretty much says it all. He swore his life to defend his country and his unit as many of us did. It's better to die as a hero than live as a coward. It would be better to live as a hero, but some make the ultimate sacrifice.
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Sad days, good man and warrior till the end. TOUJOURS PRET
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I am so sorry for the loss of your friend.... :'(
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O my brother, sorrow not! You are my truest friend.
I know we’ll see each other again ... death is not the end!
I rest on fragile gossamer wings blown in the winds
Where fallen warriors carried by archangels, heaven sends
To paradisaical R and R in fair Eden's glen
I've left far behind this frail existence soldiers defend.
I’m going there, on death's swift wings today
To that hallowed place where for the eternities I'll stay
Where purity of heart gives angelic advantage
Where no hot dusty faces grow weary under camouflage.
So when you see something shining from a black granite pall
Reach out ... I’ll be there.
Touch me on lustered hero’s wall.
(http://pzzzz.tripod.com/I/TheWall2.jpg)
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M'ette,
That was beautiful.
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Ksail101,
Glad you're able to share your thoughts and feelings of a true hero (your buddy who made the ultimate sacrifice), Thank you for your service to our country. Hang in there and feel free to let loose anytime ... ya got a family here that cares about you and all the other marines, soilders, sailors and airmen. Take care my friend - Frosty