Letter From Afghanistan #05

The chapel was too small and so they decided to move it to the dining facility.  The tables had been moved off to the side and the chairs had been set up in rows so that more people could be seated and see.  There were empty chairs, nearly whole rows in fact, and yet people were still standing along the walls.  There was light conversation, which was not the normal excitement that occurred in that place.  Some high ranking military officials were in attendance and they shook hands with various people as they came in and found their way to their seats.  A few local Afghani officials were also present and looked a little out of place and a bit uncomfortable, but a lot of that was due to the fact that they didn’t speak the language very well  and therefore didn’t understand a lot of what was happening.  All of the branches of the United States Military were represented: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines along with several people from the Romanian Army and the Afghani Army.  In front of the rows and rows of chairs were two sets of boots, two military rifles, and two Kevlar helmets.  They were assembled in the form of two soldier crosses.  All of these people had gathered to pay their respects to two men who had given their lives while doing the job the job their country had asked of them.

This was the scene at the dining facility here on Fob Lagman this last week.  I did not know either of the men that had given their life but upon hearing of the service I, like many others, decided that I needed to go to pay my respects.  I can confidently say that most of the people in the room probably didn’t know these two of our brothers, but they made time in what is often a busy day to attend.  I was joined by a couple of other people that I work the night shift with and we had all adjusted our sleep schedules to make sure that we could be there.  I felt that it was important to go to the service to pay my respects, to pray for the families left behind, and also as a way to mourn the loss of my brother DJ during his time in Iraq.  This was the first time I was ever able to attend a ceremony like this and it was nice to see that the same ceremony was held for him by his family in Iraq.

The ceremony itself is rather simple.  There are not a lot of frills with it and it last about an hour.  With the military few things ever happen on time, but this was definitely the exception.  Off to the side is a podium with a microphone and person steps up and announces that we will begin.  They start by telling everyone who they are they to commemorate.  They also take a short moment to welcome everyone for taking the time to attend.  Shortly after this a few people who knew the deceased are asked to step forward and say a little bit about the person.  This ceremony was a little different because the people we were there to remember was from the Army and the other was from the Navy and so we had commanders from each unit get up and reminisce about the soldier or sailor that they had lost.  We also heard from some fellow soldiers and sailors about their friend that they would no longer be able to work beside.  Many times when you remember a person after their passing, you like to remember all of the good things about them.  This was no different, with the exception that in the process of explaining how great of a person these men were, we would also get to hear about some of their flaws.  It’s not a bad thing, instead it reminds us that they were merely human and they weren’t perfect, but they are heroes nonetheless and they worked to save lives.  Some of the things that were said would seem a bit odd to someone not familiar with the military, but to those in attendance seemed common place.  Several times swear words were used to describe something about the person.  It seems odd for a memorial service but for the military it didn’t seem odd at all. When talking about these men people would laugh and some people could barely speak through the tears.  It showed that they were loved and respected by those that knew them best and that they would never be forgotten.

After this the Chaplain on the FOB came forward and gave a benediction and read a few psalms.  After he was finished came the more formal part of the actual ceremony.  The First Sergeant or other higher ranking enlisted person from their unit would call off the name of two people from their unit who were in attendance.  They would call out “Sergeant Franklin”, and Sergeant Franklin would stand up and report “Here First Sergeant.”  Since we were remembering two people they did this a total of four times with calling the names of people that were in attendance that day.  After all four of those people had reported their presence they next called the name of the deceased.  They do this three times, “Sergeant Doe” followed by silence.  “Sergeant John Doe” again followed by silence.  And a final time “Sergeant John A. Doe” followed by silence the third time.  They called the name of the two men three times each and this is to signify that they are no longer reporting for duty.  At this point all those in attendance stand and the twenty-one gun salute is given followed by the playing of Taps.  Amazing grace was also played on the bagpipes.  Of course the military doesn’t send buglers out with units anymore so they were recordings.

At this point everyone is encouraged to come forward to pay their final respects.  Some walk forward and offer a simple but reverent salute.  Many times the salute that is given to a fallen comrade is much slower than a regular salute and is held for longer as well.  When others come forward they leave a military coin from their squadron or their squadron’s patch before offering their salute.  Others take a moment to pray for the fallen and their families and then offer their final salute.  After doing so they turn and exit the building, allowing those that remain to pay their proper respects.

At this point I would like to sign off again for this week.  I realize that this week’s letter wasn’t a typical letter in that it covered something that no one likes to talk about, death, but this is a part of our lives here that, though it happens much too often, is a necessary part of our lives.  I felt that it would be good to share this with all of you and hope it gives you a better understanding of what is gone through on this side when it comes to the death of one of our brothers or sisters.

I would like to thank those of you that have written or emailed.  I would also like to thank those of you who keep us all in your prayers, we can never have too many.  I would love to hear from you.  If you would like to email you can send it to john.iraq@hotmail.com.  If you would like to write or send a care package you can send it to:

SSgt John B. Ferderer

Task Force Pegasus

HHC 2-82 (SWO) Task Force Corsair

APO AE 09355

Please feel free to send me any questions that you have.  If you would like to send a card to a soldier here you can also send it to me and I will hand them out.  If you would like to send a care package some of the things that we can use or would greatly appreciate are: shampoo, deodorant, body wash, tooth paste, tooth brushes, sunflower seeds, crystal light drink packets, trail mix, and other snacks.  Anything you would be willing to send is greatly appreciated by all.

Have a great week and have a great Air Force Day!