Tammy Romesha is My New Hero

It's something all military spouses and parents who've lived with a deployment are aware of: Our Soldiers will face danger, and they'll probably lie to us about it. Maybe "lie" is a strong word since it's not malicious, so we'll say omit. Our Soldiers will face danger, and they'll omit it from any conversation about said deployment. I know so many wives who "omit" things from their conversations when their husbands are deployed, it stands to reason that husbands would "omit" things as well. They don't want us to think about it when they have to leave again. They don't want their nightmares to become ours.

My point is - Tammy Romesha can't stick her head in the sand and not think about the things her husband has dealt with. She is no longer afforded the luxury of having the scary parts of her husbands military service "omitted" in order to help her sleep better at night. She knows her husband looked death in the face, accepted it, and marched on in an effort to save his friends. She knows he heard the last words that SGT Joshua Hardt spoke, "They have an RPG pointed right at me,". She knows he had to spill blood. She knows he spilled his own blood. She knows what he had to give up in order to keep going, and by God's grace get back to her.

I don't know if he glossed over the story of the overrun of COP Keating to her, my suspicion is that he did initially, and I can't say I don't understand that decision. But now she knows and she's had to think about it.

She knows something else too, though: She knows what we in the mlitary community are so grateful for, yet so often take for granted: a second chance. When our Soldiers march into that hangar, or that gymnasium or onto that field after just arriving from overseas, our entire lives become a second chance at perfecting our relationship. We get a second chance when so many don't. I don't know Tammy Romesha, but she and her husband both seem great. And I for one, am incredibly grateful - not only for my own second chances - but for theirs.

"They Fought Out of Pure Love"

"There were few people I would follow to hell and back, and Romesha is one of them"                -PFC Chris Jones

Today, President Obama will (or did, depending on when I actually publish this baby) award former SSG Clint Romesha the Congressional Medal of Honor. Romesha is the 4th living recipient and is the second recipient I have posted about on this blog, (you can read about the other here) and man alive, do I feel honored to have even heard these men's names.

I remember the day in October 2009 when COP Keating was overrun. I remember thinking "My God, my husband was there not two years before" (he was in the unit that helped build it and had served with the COP's namesake, LT Ben Keating). I remember praying like crazy for those lost and how scared they must have been to fight for their lives during a TWELVE hour battle with insurgents sometimes as few as 10 feet away. I think at that time it the most deadly single incident in the history of the war, ousting an incident during Erik's deployment to the same area from the "top" spot. A threshold so many Americans were praying we didn't cross.

Eight soldiers were killed that day at COP Keating:

SSG Vernon Martin

SSG Justin Gallegos
SGT Joshua Hardt

SGT Joshua Kirk

SGT Michael Scusa

SPC Christopher Griffin

SPC Stephan Mace

PFC Kevin Thomson 

I first read about SSG Clint Romesha specifically while reading The Outpost by Jake Tapper. (Yes, I finally finished it, for those of you wondering). I remember thinking how brave he and the others were, 52 of them them standing up to 300 Taliban and so many living to tell about it - a big part of that due to the bravery of SSG Romesha, who himself with what I read to be literally a hole in his arm from an RPG, and I just think "There is just no possible way I could be that brave". How did they look death in the face, accept that they may not see their wives or kids or parents ever again, and then start storming buildings? I guess because they didn't have any choice, that storming those buildings was the only chance they would have to ever see their family again. And I guess a Soldier probably makes peace with their mortality far in advance of having an enemy inside the wire of their camp. All things I just don't think I could do.

"With complete disregard for his own safety, Romesha continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved confidently about the battlefield engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets, including three Taliban fighters who had breached the combat outpost's perimeter," his award citation reads.

Romesha himself has said that the Battle for COP Keating was group effort. The Black Knights are all heroes. In that light, I want to take a minute and tell you that 27 of the Soldiers who fought for COP Keating that day received Purple Hearts. That's more than half. 18 received Bronze Stars and 9 received Silver Stars. (There were more awards too, but I can't find concrete sources at the moment)

These Soldiers fought for each other out of love, "pure love" as President Obama and the mom of PFC Stephan Mace have both said. They fought to keep each other alive with bullets and sometimes giving (literally) their own blood via buddy transfusions, and when one of them fell, they fought to keep the body safe so their families could welcome them home. If that isn't valor, patriotism and love, I don't know what is.

And so I thank God every single day for men like those who served at Keating, and the hundreds of thousands of other veterans that have served our great country. You folks make America proud. And you make me dang proud to be an American.

I really, really encourage you to read this through: http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/08/us/uncommon-valor It's a very interesting retelling of the events at COP Keating by Jake Tapper, who also became great friends with SSG Romesha while writing The Outpost.

And I would also like to point out to whomever is reading, that over the weekend Jake Tapper and his wife Jennifer, along with Walmart and an anonymous donor, put together a reunion for the Black Knights in Washington, DC. They were aided by American Airlines, Jet Blue, Southwest Airlines and Best Western. A big shout out goes to all those folks who made that reunion possible. I've seen pictures - with the Black Knights, John and Cindy McCain and Denis McDonough (the White House Chief of Staff) as well as Gold Star moms, wives and kiddos, and just the pictures of those folks together moved me. I know that even though the Army is small, the world is big, and sometimes these reunions don't happen all that often. I thanked Jake Tapper at The Outpost book party for bringing so many 3-71 Soldiers together, and I'm thanking him for this now. Thank you.

The Outpost : An Untold Story of American Valor

Last weekend Erik and I traveled (ALONE! Unencumbered by baby gear!!) to Washington DC to celebrate the release of Jake Tapper's book, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. The book was written about 4 Battalions’ tours in Afghanistan, 1-91 CAV, 6-4 CAV, 3-61 CAV, and in Book 1, the BN Erik served in at Ft. Drum, 3-71 CAV.

In the book you can read about the lives of men you've likely only heard about: LTC Fenty, SFC Monti, CPT Bostick, LT Keating, just to name a few. Men who were and are more than just names on outposts in Afghanistan. You can read about my own husband and just a few examples of his bravery, and far less importantly, you can read the email he sent to me when he told me that his deployment had been extended by 4 months and that I had to cancel our wedding (an email that was sent only 2 weeks before he should have marched into the gym at Ft. Drum to be welcomed home).

The book release party was held at the Newseum, appropriately, and many of the troops from the 3 BNs focused on in the book were in attendance. After the party kicked off, toasts were made and then a few Soldiers presented Mr. Tapper with tokens of their appreciation for writing the book. One of which was a flag that was one of just a few things rescued from the burning operations center of COP Keating before it was evacuated. Trust me when I tell you there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

It has been my belief for a while that 3-71 CAVs participation in OEF VIII-IX was a perfect storm, the likes of which many hadn't seen or wouldn't believe. I'm so grateful that a light has been shone on the heroics of these men, and so many others, who I believe make up the new Greatest Generation. Until now, so little was known about those who have given SO much.

The weekend also brought about the reunion of old college buddies, delicious sushi (that I have desperately needed since we left HI) and many sites visited, including Arlington on Veterans Day. I think Erik and I were both stricken by the number of names we recognized the latest sections of the cemetery. Honestly, there had to be at least 20 people we knew or had connections to. Twenty. Can you imagine? It's not that we didn't know they were gone, but just the sheer magnitude of walking around and just happening up familiar names really brought things home to us, even more so than they already were to this Army family. We are so lucky Erik has come home safely from his 3 deployments.

I remember thinking that night at the party that I was in the company of heroes. And then it occurred to me that as a military spouse (a term I hate to use to define myself, by the way) I am lucky enough in the company of heroes every single day of my life.

 (The men of 3-71CAV that were able to attend, and Jake Tapper)

 

Here is the link to the transcript of an interview Mr. Tapper did regarding the book. It's the best interview I've seen yet. http://www.hughhewitt.com/transcripts.aspx?id=dd755e93-a1b1-4ba6-b185-9e7ac964f87b

***I don't feel educated enough to write a full review of the book, because the truth is I haven't been able to finish it. I read, remember, cry, and put it down again for a while. I have read a good portion of it (2/3ish, which is about 99% more than expected), and someday I hope to finish it, but that day is just not today. I can say that it seems as accurate as it could be for a book whose story began more than 5 years ago (by Erik's description, not my own).

Where Men Win Glory

I came across this on Jackie's blog the other day. It's a little long but it's definitely worth watching. Though it really hurts my heart to think about the things they saw over there and they way they had to live, I also can't bring myself to ignore it. There are still soldiers living, working, and dying in Afghanistan and we can't forget about them.

You will probably notice the 10th Mountain patches the soldiers wear. While the footage was filmed during the time Erik was in Afghaninstan and these are 3-71 soldiers, they are from A Troop. I think it's a really interesting look into the way they lived and the things they encountered. And it reminded me once again that this deployment is nothing like the last and for that I am incredibly grateful.



Jon Krakauer's Afghan Diary - Long Form from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on Vimeo.

It's Been A Long December

If I've said it once in the last week, I've said it ten times. I have "senioritis" regarding this deployment. Last Saturday a bunch of us got together to make homecoming banners for each of the batteries in the BN and for the (single soldiers) barracks. Since then, I swear, I have NOT been able to focus on ANYTHING. I can finally see the light at the end of this tunnel and the closer it gets the more worthless I become. And we still have awhile...

Interestingly, this is the same "light at the end of the tunnel" picture I used last time I saw a light at the end of the deployment tunnel - pre extension.... Hopefully I don't have to break it out for a few years after this go-round.

My schedule for the next several weeks is filling up fast and that's probably for the best. I remember the last several weeks of Erik's last deployment and they seemed to last longer than the other 16 months combined - can't have that happen again!

In other news... Well, I have no other news because I can't focus on anything. I'm giving myself until Friday to stop acting like I have mush for brains, I have day-long meeting that day and I'm probably going to have to appear productive.

EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

"...conspicuous valor above and beyond the call of duty"

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13

I've struggled for the last few days to figure out what to put in this post. I never met SGT Jared Monti so I don't feel that I can accurately pay tribute to who he was and what he did - but want to try.

Erik met and served with SGT Monti in 3-71CAV when he was at Ft. Drum. Even before they deployed I knew who SGT Monti was, and on the day I read of his death in Afghanistan, I thought I knew what a soldier the Army had lost. But as days went on and more information about SGT Monti's bravery and who he was became available, I realized what kind of a person the world had lost.

We were honored to meet Paul Monti, Jared's father, when he attended our wedding shortly after 3-71 returned from Afghanistan. Admittedly it was very difficult for us (and I'm certain even more so for him), but I know that we will never forget it. Nor will we forget his son who, it was announced yesterday, will be receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Soldier gets highest honor for ultimate sacrifice

Army Sgt. Jared C. Monti of Raynham has been posthumously named to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor this week for giving his life as he tried to rescue wounded comrades under heavy fire in Afghanistan in 2006.

The humble soldier never liked medals, his proud father, Paul Monti, recalled yesterday. The ones he earned when he was alive, he just tucked in a drawer. It was the way he dealt with many of his exemplary actions in life, his dad said - he didn’t feel he needed to show off about the good things he was doing.

Jared Monti, a 1994 Bridgewater-Raynham High School graduate, was the son of Paul Monti of Raynham and Janet Monti of Winterville, N.C. Just 30 when he was killed, he “was extremely selfless.

“He spent most of his life doing things for other people, even when young,” his father said.
On Tuesday afternoon, Monti received a telephone call from President Obama informing him that his beloved son has been named as a recipient of the Medal of Honor. It will be awarded in a ceremony at the White House in the fall.

“The president told me that he was very proud of him, that the nation was very proud of him and that I should be proud of him,” Monti said. He described the conversation as emotional and “bittersweet.”

On June 21, 2006, during a heavy firefight in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, Jared Monti dragged one wounded soldier to safety under fire. He went back to get another critically wounded soldier and was killed by a grenade in the process.

Monti recalled his son’s quiet, giving spirit, never wanting any recognition for the often surprising things he did. At 17, Jared asked to cut down a spruce tree from their yard, because a local family wasn’t going to have a Christmas tree. Then, “he bought them ornaments, presents, Christmas dinner, and he never told anyone,” his father said.

Only five other Medals of Honor have been awarded since 9/11. “I would rather have him back than all the medals,” Monti said. “But it’s fitting that (Jared) should be recognized for his act.”

He said his son, whose dream was to serve in the military and then become a history teacher, “would be appalled” by the attention he is receiving now. “(Jared) would say, ‘Dad, I was just doing my job,’ ” he said.

2 Years Already...

So the other night we were on skype and the conversation went as follows:

Sheena: Can you believe you've been home for almost two years?!
Erik: Um.. I haven't...

But this deployment seems so different from the last, it's hard to call them by the same name. Don't think I'm cold-hearted. All I'm sayin' is that getting to talk on skype nearly every night (which is AMAZING, by the way - we are really lucky) is a far cry from 20 minute phone calls once or twice a month for 16 frickin' months. Besides, in the nearly 5 years we've been together we've spent a grand total of probably about 18 months together in the same place, so what do you think is the norm for us? That's right, separation bridged by phone calls. Not that that a deployment could ever be on par with him being safe and sound hanging out at his apartment in Carthage, I'm just making a point.

At any rate, the picture below still really moves me and portrays one of the very best moments of my life *cue cheesy music* You will likely find me thinking about this day every June 4 for a very, very long time.

See you and me have a better time than most can dream
Have it better than the best
So we can pull on through
Whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down
And if nothing can be done
We'll make the best of what's around.
-DMB

A Year Already?

My blog entry from Monday, June 04, 2007
I woke up this morning,With a feeling inside me that I can't explain.
Like a weight that I've carred been carried away.

And I know something is coming..._____

It seems like yesterday that Erik came home. 478 days of waiting ended in a gym at Ft. Drum at 1 in the morning. I'll never forget those 16 months for the rest of my life.

I still remember the day I packed up my things and moved to New York to live alone for 6 weeks. My myspace quotes those six weeks as "the strangest, loveliest, loneliest six weeks in my history... But I wouldn't change them for anything." and I suppose that still rings true. My mom says of both her kids I wasn't the one she thought would move away from home, but guess what...


Writing this post made me go back and look at my old blog, from back when Erik and I first started dating and we met for "Pizza Wednesdays", when he moved to New York and any given post includes the number of days until the next time we would be together. It covers our engagement, the day he left and 3 (count them one, two, three) changed wedding dates, not to mention that damned extension. Sometimes I can't believe how far we've come and how hard we worked to finally be together.

See you and me have a better time than most can dream
Have it better than the best
So we can pull on through
Whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down
And if nothing can be done
We'll make the best of what's around.
-DMB