Watchdogs Honor Their Own
(June 15, 2010) |
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| SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII (June 11, 2010) - Less than 24 hours after the
completion of Watchdog Memorial Grove, Soldiers, family
members, and loved ones gathered to pay tribute to their
fallen comrades who left a lasting impact on their lives. |
Col. Bryon A. Freeman,
commander of the 8th Military Police Brigade,
speaks to the audience about the sacrifices the
fallen Soldiers gave while deployed to Iraq in
Operation Iraqi Freedom from September 2008 to
October 2009, during the memorial ceremony on
Schofield Barracks on June 4, 2010. Photo by:
Sgt. 1st Class David R. Wheeler |
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Flowers and small trees surround a circular stone terrace,
and a granite block sits in the middle, carved with the
names of the fallen. At the top of the memorial, is the
Fallen Soldiers Battle Cross - a bronzed helmet resting on
top of a bronzed bayoneted rifle, plunging into the ground.
Watchdog Memorial Grove is a monument nearly a year in the
making. Leaders and Soldiers of the 8th Military Police
Brigade conceptualized and designed the monument to honor
the memories of their fellow brothers in arms. |
A soldier from the 8th Military Police Brigade
salutes the memorial after placing a fallen
Soldier's dog tags on the Soldiers' Cross,
represented by a rifle, boots, and helmet, as
other soldiers look on during the 8th Military
Police memorial on Schofield Barracks on June 4,
2010. Photo by: Sgt. 1st Class David R. Wheeler |
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As a large crowd gathered in front of the 8th MP's
Headquarters building, it was evident that this was more
than just a dedication to a new monument. “Sergeant Raul Moncada... Sergeant Raul A. Moncada!”
The crowd listened quietly as a First Sergeant shouted what
troops call the last roll. On this day it was eleven names,
followed by eleven silences. After each one, a soldier
marched forward and saluted before hanging a dog tag from
the battle cross, showing honor and respect for the fallen.
Each name called during the last roll, was a name of a
Soldier who lost his life during a 2009 deployment in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“These soldiers were some of the finest people in this
country,” 8th MP commander Col. Byron Freeman told the
hushed gathering.
As a veteran of several deployments himself, Freeman knows
that MP's are some of the most |
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called upon soldiers in the Army. |
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Against a backdrop of billowing flags he tried to reassure
those at the memorial that the deaths of these eleven
soldiers were not in vain.
"Their lives continue to bear fruit in us by motivating us
to serve as they chose to serve,” Freeman said, before
reminding the crowd that these troops were more than just
Military Policeman. “I choose to remember and celebrate them
as who they were as men, as brothers, as husbands and
fathers.” |
Sgt. Clark C. Bartholomew, 8th
Military Police Brigade, places the dog tags of
his fallen friend and Soldier Raul Moncada,
563rd Military Police Company, on the Soldiers'
Cross, represented by a rifle, boots, and
helmet, at the 8th MP Brigade memorial on
Schofield Barracks on June 4, 2010. Photo by:
Cpl. Frank Bland |
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Sergeant Raul Moncada was among the 8th MP Brigade's fallen,
killed in Baghdad by an improvised explosive device. One of
his best friends, Sgt. Clark Bartholomew, of the 8th MP
Brigade, paid homage to Moncada at the memorial.
“He was my best friend, the ultimate NCO and the ultimate
soldier” said Bartholomew. “He was a family man and anytime
you would mention his daughter his face would just break
into a big smile. So it was really tragic when he was
killed”.
The 8th Brigade MP's 2009 deployment to Iraq was a heroic
one. These soldiers were responsible for training Iraqi
police forces and played a key role in providing security
for the newly democratic country's first national election.
The Army awarded the brigade the prestigious Meritorious
Unit Citation for their outstanding work in Iraq. However,
as the ceremony at Schofield barracks showed, success in war
sometimes comes with a heavy price. For the Watchdogs, that
cost was the lives of eleven soldiers.
Watchdog Memorial Grove will remain, eleven names engraved
in granite, the Fallen Soldiers Battle Cross |
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standing watch, a solemn tribute to these
Military Policemen who sacrificed their lives in
the name of America. |
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By Nick Tovo
Defense Media Activity – Hawaii News Bureau
Copyright 2010 | |
Provided
through DVIDS
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