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Wolf Pack Opens Memorial Park For Fallen Marines
(June 23, 2011) |
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| MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS,
Calif., (MCN - 6/20/2011) — Third Light Armored
Reconnaissance Battalion dedicated a memorial to the 11 Wolf
Pack Marines who fell during Operation Iraqi Freedom between
2003 to 2009 June 14, 2011 during the unveiling of the 3rd
LAR Memorial Park in front of their headquarters building. |
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Marines and sailors of 3rd LAR pause to reflect at their new memorial
(front view - photo right) dedicated to the Wolf Pack Marines who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom after the dedication ceremony of their memorial park June 14, 2011 in front of the 3rd LAR headquarters building. |
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The two-year-long project finally came to a close June 14,
2011 when the OIF memorial was dedicated to the battalion.
“We aren't deploying to Iraq anymore,” said Capt.
Michael Simon the company commander for Company D. “It's
time to recognize that while this battalion did amazing
things in Iraq, it came at a cost.”
Simon lost seven
Marines in Iraq in 2006 during OIF when he served as a
platoon commander for Co. D.
“It's important to have
a place that we can remember,” he said. “We have a short,
but rich history, and they played into it as much as anyone
else, if not more. This is the price we have to pay when we
go to war.”
Like a family, the battalion shared good
times and rough times together, Simon said, reflecting on
his deployments with the unit.
“There is something
about the Wolf Pack that draws you together like a family,”
Simon said. “We lost seven guys in three weeks [that year].
That was something we had to work through. What's worth
noting is while we had seven pass away, the rest of the guys
continued to fight. They continued to remember them and
fight.”
The battalion stood at attention, ignoring
the intense summer heat, to pay tribute to the brothers
memorialized that day.
“This is an opportunity to
recognize the selfless service and sacrifice of our Wolf
Pack Marines who have come before us,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth
Kassner, the battalion commander of 3rd LAR. “The Marines
and sailors whose names are etched on the stones before you
gave their ultimate sacrifice in support of our nation.
Although their lives have been cut short, they are anything
but unfulfilled because each embarked on a service of
something greater than themselves.” |
Articel and photos by USMC LCpl. Sarah Dietz
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
Copyright 2011 | |
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
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