Ceremony in NLR to honor war dead

Taken from:
Amy Schlesing
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

93 Arkansans killed over 8 years

The Iraq War kicked off eight years ago this week and was quickly followed by Arkansas' first wartime death.
The anniversary of that death will be marked Saturday with a ceremony at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery also honoring all of the state's casualties over the years in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Navy Corpsman Michael Vann Johnson Jr. was treating a wounded Marine in the initial push into Iraq when shrapnel from a grenade pierced his head and killed him on March 25, 2003.

As of Friday, 93 Arkansans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, Of those 72 died in Iraq and 21 in Afghanistan. The majority of those deaths - 75 - were the result of enemy fire. There also have been 17 noncombat deaths and one from friendly fire.

Cpl Loren Buffalo, 20, of Mountain Pine was the latest victim. He died March 9 in Afghanistan and was buried Friday in the State Veterans Cemetery.

Today there are several hundred Arkansans from Little Rock Air Force Base, the Navy Reserve in North Little Rock, the Army Reserve ad the Arkansas National Guard still serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

The Michael Vann Johnson Jr. American Legion Post 74 will host the annual ceremony Saturday.

Post 74 in North Little Rock was named in honor of Johnson when it began in 2004.

The memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. at the State Veterans Cemetery at 1501 W. Maryland Ave. in North Little Rock. The name of each Arkansan killed in Iraq and Afghanistan will be read. Pvt. William Long, 25, of Conway also will be memorialized. He was killed in 2009 in a shooting at a Little Rock recruiting office.

This year's speakers at the event will include Col. David Kasberg, commander of the 19th Operations Group at Little Rock Air Force Base.

I would like to believe that there is some healing taking place at ceremonies like this, said R. D. Kinsey commander of Post 74. "I have that list of casualties. And I carry it with me everywhere I go."


Today would have been Loren's 21 birthday. It will be a very hard day for his mom A.J. and brother Legend along with the rest of his family and friends. Please take a moment to send prayers of peace and strength for them today.

I ask all of our fellow Arkansans to try to attend this ceremony Saturday and show these families that their Heroes will never be forgotten.

Happy Birthday Buff, We love and miss you.


I love you Scout

God Bless,
Cav Mom

A Hero comes home

Officials Identify Gulf War Pilot’s Remains

American Forces Press Service

Military officials have identified remains found in Iraq’s Anbar province as those of

Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, who was shot down while flying an F/A-18 Hornet combat mission on Jan. 17, 1991.

U.S. Navy photo

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2009 – Remains found last month in Iraq’s Anbar province are those of Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, who was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet on Jan. 17, 1991, and whose fate until now had been uncertain, Defense Department officials reported today.

Acting on information provided by Iraqi civilians, Marines stationed in Anbar province went to a desert location believed to be the crash site of Speicher’s jet, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology positively identified remains recovered there Speicher’s.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Captain Speicher's family for the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said. "I am also extremely grateful to all those who have worked so tirelessly over the last 18 years to bring Captain Speicher home."

The Navy’s top uniformed officer also praised the effort to determine Speicher’s fate and expressed gratitude for the fallen aviator’s sacrifice. “Our Navy will never give up looking for a shipmate, regardless of how long or how difficult that search may be,” said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Captain Speicher and his family for the sacrifice they have made for our nation and the example of strength they have set for all of us.”

In early July, an Iraqi civilian told Marines he knew twotwo people who recalled an American jet crashing and the remains of the pilot being buried. One of those people said he was present when Bedouins found Speicher dead and buried his remains. The Iraqis led Marines to the site, and the Marines searched the area. Remains were recovered over several days during the past week and were flown to Dover Air Force Base, Del., for scientific identification by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology’s Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner.

The recovered remains include bones and skeletal fragments. Positive identification was made by comparing Speicher’s dental records with the jawbone recovered at the site. The teeth are a match, both visually and radiographically, officials said.

While dental records have confirmed the remains to be Speicher’s, officials said, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology DNA Lab in Rockville, Md., is running DNA tests on the remains and comparing them to DNA reference samples previously provided by his family. Results are expected tomorrow.

(From a Defense Department news release.)

Soldier on leave from Iraq war helps send packages to troops

Army National Guard SPC Scott Conn stuffs a care package full of goodies Thursday during the Blue Star Mothers of America Chapter 10 gathering at the Recovery Center in Lancaster. Conn is home on leave from his third tour in Iraq and wanted to help with effort to support the troops.



(Ty Wright / Eagle-Gazette)



"LANCASTER - Many people take two-week vacations to warm, exotic or sunny locales. But a local soldier has returned home to Lancaster to spend time with his family while on leave from the Iraq war.U.S. Army Spc. Scott Conn returned to Ohio a few days ago. He is on his third tour of duty in Iraq. He returns to the war-torn country July 22."It's definitely going to fly by, but it's my job," said Conn, 30. "I'd rather do it now than see one of my kids go back for something I could have done."

Soldier receives Military Motherhood Award

Staff Sgt. Melissa Dion, a medic at Fort Drum, and her 9-year-old son, Ryan, are honored during the Operation Homefront Military Motherhood Award ceremony May 27 at the Pentagon. Photo by Lacey Justinger

By Lacey Justinger
Army News Service
WASHINGTON – "She did the bravest thing a mother could do when she drove away from our house, leaving her son and not knowing if she would see him again. Many people ask her how she could go off to war and leave her son behind ... she always replies the same. She joined the Army to serve and protect her country and if her country needs her ... she needs to do what is expected."Staff Sgt. Melissa Dion, a medic at Fort Drum, read these words when she linked onto the Operation Homefront web site to nominate her own mother for the Military Motherhood Award. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Dion realized her mother had already submitted her and that she had been voted by web site visitors to be a finalist. Dion said she had never looked at the situation the way her mother wrote it. She was just doing her job. "The military mothers who do what my daughter has done and go to war for their country and leave their Families behind are the most unselfish women I know," Carol Dion wrote in the essay about her daughter. With a slightly apologetic smile, Dion disagrees. "I just had to get on the plane and go," she said. "The Families back home – the spouses, parents, children – they go through more and have more to deal with more than Soldiers. Soldiers just do their job. I knew my son was taken care of. I knew my finances were taken care of. All I had to worry about was my job." So Dion deployed as a combat medic to Iraq twice – missing her son's first day of school, his first lost tooth, learning to swim and ride a bike, his birthdays and Christmases. Ryan admits that it was hard when his mom deployed, especially the first time when he was 4. But he said his grandparents explained his mom just had to go; it was her job. And, he said, the daily phone calls helped. Often during these daily calls, Dion would express concern to her Family about fellow Soldiers who were not receiving care packages, letters or phone calls. She would ask that her Family send gifts to be shared with others. It was her unselfishness that made Dion shine among the qualified finalists. Amy Palmer, chief executive officer of Operation Homefront, said the judges pick the winner based on actions in significant situations, above and beyond ordinary circumstances for deployed service members and Families. Palmer said it was apparent that Dion had faced unique challenges being a single mother and missing very significant milestones but was still more concerned about others' welfare rather than her own.In fact, Dion couldn't believe that she had actually won when she received the phone call. She said she almost fell over. She kept asking, Are you sure it's me? Do you have the right phone number? Are you talking to the right person? Operation Homefront's Military Motherhood Award is sponsored by Lockheed Martin and TriWest. Dion and her 9-year-old son, Ryan, were flown to Washington for a ceremony May 27 at the Pentagon, where Dion was awarded a trophy and a $5,000 check. During the ceremony, Dion continued gave most of the credit to Ryan for his patience. "He has been so helpful," Dion said. "My son has been by my side the whole time. He's a great supporter. You're looking at a future officer right there. He wants to be a doctor and deploy to serve his country.""I'm planning to be a Soldier, but my mom said I have to go to college first," Ryan said.Dion has served in the Army for 16 years and received the Meritorious Service Medal, but she said this is an experience that she and Ryan will never forget. The highlight of the trip was rolling down Constitution Avenue in a 1930 Model A Ford behind Medal of Honor winners in the Washington, D.C., Memorial Day Parade. "I wasn't looking for an award to be a mom and do what a Soldier does," Dion said. "But it's been an awesome, amazing experience. The Army is a wonderful place to be; I have loved my time in the Army."