Wednesday Hero – 11/04/09

This Week’s Post Was Written By Greta

Col. Henry J. Cook

Past National Commander, Military Order of the Purple Heart, after serving over fifteen years with MOPH, gaining invaluable experience while in the positions of National Aide-de-Camp, Chapter Commander, Region Commander, National Junior Vice Commander and National Senior Vice Commander.

He was a career Special Forces (Green Beret) officer for thirty-three of the total forty-two years that he was on combined active and reserve duty. His combat tours began in 1967-68 when he operated behind enemy lines in for extended periods of time conducting operations with native guerrilla troops as the Executive Officer of the 4th Mobile Guerrilla. He saw additional combat in 1969-70 when he led a U.S. Special Forces Mobile Strike Force Battalion (MIKE FORCE), consisting of Green Beret officers and sergeants leading Cambodian mercenaries, again working behind enemy lines as well as reacting to attacks on friendly bases, often requiring that his unit be parachuted into hostile drop zones.

Later, he participated in Desert Shield (Saudi Arabia), Desert Storm (Kuwait) and Iraq, and Operation Provide Comfort (Support to Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq.

For his valor and military skills, Colonel Cook was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with �V� device for Valor and two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with �V� Device and one Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with One Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Gold and Silver Stars, Joint Services Commendation Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Special Forces Combat Diver Badge, Special Forces Tab, and numerous other U.S. and foreign decorations.

Henry Cook is now twice retired, as a soldier and as a lawyer and resides in Diamondhead, Mississippi. He is a member of the Pro Bono Consortium representing veterans who appeal denial of claims and is a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans� Claims. He�s been a member of the Mississippi Bar Association since 1978 and also serves as a Municipal Judge Pro Tem in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Other significant contributions to veterans by Henry Cook include: a major role in the creation of the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans� Memorial in Ocean Springs and helping raise over $500,000 to help MOPH members in Louisiana and Mississippi who lost everything during Hurricane Katrina. In addition to MOPH, he also belongs to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Special Forces Association (SFA), Special Operations Association (SOA), Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW).

You can read more about Col. Henry in this PDF file on pages 31 & 32.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

The Littlest Marine: An Update

Littlest Marine Memorial Day 2009

If you look at my “Top Posts” section, you will see that the very top one is Message From A Marine Mom. If you haven’t read this post, I encourage you to read it with kleenex on hand. I have had comments and questions off and on for the three years since I posted it! Needless to say, I have done a little research and found more about Taylor and her endeavors. First I found news from June 2007 on Today’s Moto (scroll down) and another link to her mom’s own blog that chronicles Taylor’s life from 2007 to the present! See what she’s been up to on the blog Proud Young American. I am so thrilled that she is growing and thriving and is still so involved with “her marines”!

Other posts about Taylor:
The Little Marine
The Little Marine Meets Her Men

Wednesday Hero – 10/28/09

Spc. Justin Slagle

Spc. Justin Slagle returns to Forward Operating Base Lane in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after an air assault mission in the Zabul province of Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2009. Even as leaders in Washington struggle with the next steps in Afghanistan, troops there are moving to better protect the Afghan people by separating them from Taliban influence and intimidation.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero – 10/21/09

Sailors & Marines Playing Volleyball With Local School Children

Sailors and Marines assigned to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) play volleyball with students from Sangley Point National High School during a lunch break at a community service project. Tortuga, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) are participating in Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 2009. PHIBLEX is designed to improve interoperability, increase readiness and develop professional relationships between the U.S. military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Photo Courtesy Navy.mil Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero – 10/14/09

This Week’s Post Was Suggested By Beth

Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp
21 years old from Rosemont, Minnesota
3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
July 18, 2009

Ben Kopp has been a fighter since the day he was born. When he was born his mother was given morphine to stop her labor so the doctors could deliver her via a cesarean section. But it caused his heart rate to slow and when he was born he wasn’t breathing. But he recovered to the amazement of everyone. “Ben has always been up for a challenge,” said his mother, Jill Stephenson. “He came into the world a fighter.”

On July 10, 2009, Cpl. Benjamin Kopp was wounded in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. He was hit in the knee that hit his popliteal artery and the loss of blood caused him to go into cardiac arrest on the operating table at a battalion surgical center. As a result of his injuries, Cpl. Kopp developed swelling in his brain was put into an induced coma to try and save his life. But he died on July 18.

But his service didn’t end with his passing. Upon his death, by his own desire, his organs were donated to people in need saving their lives.

“Please continue to say prayers for all of the men and women who so proudly serve our country,” Stephenson wrote online. “Ben had a deep love of country and has just left a legacy of heroism for all of us to cherish. Be as proud of him as I was as his mother.”

You can read much more about Cpl. Benjamin S. Kopp here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero – 10/07/09

Sgt. Michael Egan
36 years old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
104th Cavalry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard
September 19, 2005

News of Egan�s death came to Pennsauken shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday, Krista Egan, Sgt. Egan’s sister-in-law, said. His mother, Irene, was on the telephone when an Army sergeant walked up to the door. “My mother-in-law was talking on the telephone to Mike�s wife, Maria, when he came. Maria had just got the news. The Army sergeant told my mother-in-law it was his first time notifying a family.”

Sgt. Egan served in the Marine Corps for eight years, was a civilian for a year, then joined the National Guard. As a Marine, he had been previously served in Afghanistan.

“He was well-liked by everyone,” Patrick Egan, Sgt. Egan’s brother, said.

Sgt. Michael Egan was killed when an IED detonated near his vehicle while on patrol in Ramadi. Also killed in the attack were Spc. William Evans, 22, of Hallstead, PA, Spc. William Fernandez, 37, of Reading, PA and Lt. Mark Dooley of the Vermont National Guard.

Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com & You Can Read Much More About Sgt. Michael Egan Here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero – 09/23/09

Lt. John Madea

Lt. John Madea holds his daughter as she is baptized with holy water from the ship’s bell of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). This is the fourth person baptized aboard Tortuga since the ship’s christening in 1988, and her name will be inscribed inside the bell as a tradition of the U.S. Navy.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy
Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero – 09/16/09

This Week’s Post Is Via Gazing At The Flag

PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker 24 years old from Madras, Oregon B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division June 16, 2006

Flag Gazer has a great post up on the dedication of the PFC Thomas Tucker memorial. These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Project 2,996: Davis “Deeg” Sezna, Jr.

How does a parent deal with a loss of a child and how in world could they get through the loss of another child? This is what Davis and Gail Sezna of Delaware had to deal with, in just a 14 month span. Their first loss came in July of 2000 when their 15-year-old son, Teddy, was killed in a boating accident. And then their world fell apart again on September 11, 2001 when their oldest son, Davis “Deeg” Sezna, Jr., was just starting his second week of work at Sandler, O’Neill & Partners in Tower II of the World Trade Center.

For days after the towers fell, Deeg’s parents hoped that he was just missing and that they would find him in a hospital suffering from amnesia. That hope dwindled and faded as more devastating news came out of the city.

Deeg worked on the 104th floor of Tower II and was enthusiastic about his job. He always showed up in a suit despite it being an “office casual” business and would never refer to his boss by his first name, though Jimmy Dunne had said he could. Deeg knew this job was important because it was a stepping stone for him towards working with his father, a restaurateur and golf course developer. Father and son were very close and spent time on the phone together every day planning out their strategy for the family business. He also loved working in New York City. The vibrancy of the city energized Deeg and Deeg in turn, motivated others.

Deeg was known by his family and friends for his firmly held convictions and determination. He had a keen and logical mind and relished debating current events, politics and business, which he did with great confidence and eloquence, particularly for a man of his young years. He commanded the respect of his peers and his elders for his maturity, dignity, and seriousness of purpose, combined with a fun-loving and genuine nature. He had profound ability to connect with fellow human beings in a manner that made each one feel special. He was a wonderful and caring friend, son, and brother.

Deeg was the President of his graduating class and a member of the Cum Laude Society at Sanford School in Wilmington, DE (Class of 1997). He participated on the varsity Golf team all 4 years and was Captain of the team in his senior year. All through high school and during summers, he worked in many positions in his family’s hospitality business, the 1492 Hospitality Group. Deeg graduated from Vanderbilt University in June, 2001 with at BA in Economics. He was Treasurer of his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha.

Deeg was an inspiration to others and so many of his classmates from Sanford and Vanderbilt speak of his zest for life, his love of golf and his enthusiasm. He’s described as nice, outgoing, kind and humorous, idealistic, a motivator, intelligent and ambitious. And most especially missed and mourned. Two comments by friends really struck me and I felt they needed to be shared further.

“Mr. & Mrs. Sezna,

I met Deeg within two weeks of our first day of classes at Vanderbilt. From that point on, we remained friends. Your sons pledge class and my pledge class got along really well, and as a result we often went out together, Deeg included. I remember discussing our job-hunt struggles together early this year. We joked about moving to Colorado or Vermont to be ski bums. Both of us found normal employment and started at about the same time. Now Deeg will never attain the sucess he was bound to achieve.

Rarely in life do you get to meet somebody who is so giving, so caring. Deeg would do anything for his friends, no matter what. He was always there with a smile and a laugh. He was fun. I feel I can speak for many when I say that he IS remembered. For me, Deeg is the tangible proof of this tragedy, and his face the one I recall when the anger and sadness wash over me.

Know that you both did a fantastic job raising your son, and the prayers of many are with you. I only lost a friend. You lost your wonderful son.

Thank you and God Bless,

Andrew Strider
Vanderbilt University ‘01”

and

“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Sezna,
I don’t know if you remember me, but I used to play golf with Deeg and I played with Mr. Sezna in the Delaware Amateur at Christiana. I just wanted you to know that I am thinking of Deeg. I worked for you at Hartefeld under Eric Macluen for a few months before joining the military. I am currently completing jet fighter training in the Marine Corps, and often use Deeg’s memory to motivate me.
sincerely,
Nicu Nastase

And as for how Davis Sr. and Gail Sezna have dealt with their sons deaths? This is one of the ways:
The Sezna Foundation “In the Spirit of Teddy & Deeg” Fund – Established to honor the memory of Teddy and Davis Sezna Jr. by funding educational programs and future community needs.
Donations can be made through The Delaware Community Foundation.

September 11th Memorial
Delaware Online – The News Journal
A Congressional speech regarding the Sezna family can be found here.

Project 2,996 is about remembering those who died in a terrorist attack on our country on September 11, 2001.

Project 2,996: Daphne Ferlinda Elder

Loving, beautiful, happy, proud, strong, intelligent and classy. Just a handful of words that describe a 36-year-old woman whose life was taken on September 11, 2001.

Daphne Ferlinda Elder was all of the above and more. She was also a daughter, a mother, a friend and a coworker. She was very close to her family, having lunch with her siblings on Saturdays and calling her father every day just to make sure he was taking care of himself. Daphne also took great care of her son, Justin and was so very proud of him and her family. She did not hesitate to speak her mind when it was important and stood up for her family and her friends without wavering.

Daphne worked for Marsh & McLennan on the 97th floor of the World Trade Center, where she was known as a kind and helpful co-worker. So many of her friends and coworkers have left messages speaking of the fun and laughs they had with her and how she found so much joy and humor in life. Here are some of those comments:

“…Just before this tragedy happened, Daphne saw my name and e-mailed me just because and what was so funny about this, I decided that I wasn’t going to delete her message. I felt then that she was so sweet to scream at me and ask where I had been and to wish me well, that I felt at that time I will treasure this e-mail, now that she is gone, this three line e-mail means even more. I love you Daphne, I still have a tear for you Daphne, God bless you Daphne.”
June Sanders

“…Another colleague asked me yesterday if I had ever known Daphne Elder, and I said, “Of course! She was tall and beautiful, and was always dressed immaculately.” Then I was told that she was working for Marsh on Sept. 11, and I was beside myself. She was always so patient whenever I came to repair her PC, and she always had a smile for me when passing me in the hallway. I offer my deepest sympathy goes to her family, her loved ones, and anyone who was lucky enough to have been enriched by virtue of having known her.”
Dominique Dowsing

“My sincere condolences go out to the Elder family. I met Daphne at The Robert Treat Academy where both of our children attend. She was a very strong young lady and one who always spoke her mind, I miss seeing her at the Parent meetings and discussing issues with her. I think about her often and it’s hard to believe that this type of tragedy could happen so close to home. The Elder family knows that my prayers are with them constantly.”
God Bless
Tahira,
Robert Treat Academy, Newark, NJ

“…She was a wonderful, sincere person who was always up beat and positive. She always seemed to have rays of sunshine following her, even on bad days. She was always with Cynthia and they made me a “soul sister” I will never forget and keep her in my daily prayers. My deepest sympathy to her family. God bless her soul.”
Lisa Napolitano

So many of these comments included the laughing and joking that would go on in the office lunchroom whenever Daphne was there. She touched so many lives and will be remembered by so many more if only for her smiling face in the pictures left in tribute to her. But the most moving tribute for me, comes from her father…

“Daphne was a loving person,” Mr. Elder said. “She called me every day to find out how I’m doing, what did I eat, did I get some rest. That’s what I really miss.”
(NYT 10/22/01)

Project 2,996 is about remembering those who died in a terrorist attack on our country on September 11, 2001.