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In Memoriam
 Today I visited the grave of a hero.
Marine reservist Staff Sergeant James Cawley died a year
ago, on March 29, 2003, in Iraq at age 41. By all
accounts he was a remarkable guy: a husband and father of
two beautiful children, a bright well-read man and
dedicated police officer. His death is a terrible loss.
He died for a great cause – our safety and freedom,
and that of our children.
He is not the only son of
Utah sacrificed to the Iraqi War:
Marine Staff
Sgt. James W. Cawley, 41, of Layton,
Utah. Died on March 29, 2003.
"SSgt James W. Cawley has paid the
ultimate sacrifice. He lived life honorably and
died valiantly. He strongly believed that the
citizens of Iraq needed to be liberated and that
the current regime was a threat to our freedom." -
James W. Cawley
Family Press Release
Army Cpl. Juan
C. Cabralbanuelos, 25, of Emporia,
Kansas. Died on January 31, 2004. Buried in South
Ogden to be near family.
"His last words were, ‘You guys
always have to remember that I’m doing
something I wanted to do. I’m serving my
country, and I’m proud of it.’"
- Kansan among three
soldiers killed in explosion in Iraq
Army Capt.
Nathan S. Dalley, 27, of Kaysville,
Utah. Died on November 17, 2003.
"He had no fear. He wanted to serve his
country, and he chose to go to Iraq. He wanted to
fight for our country and the Iraqi people."
- Soldier will be
buried near Brighton High, by Dawn House, The
Salt Lake Tribune
Army Staff Sgt.
Clint D. Ferrin, 31, of Picayune,
Mississippi. Died on March 13, 2004. Buried in
North Ogden to be near family.
Army Spc. David
J. Goldberg, 20, of Layton,
Utah. Died on November 26, 2003.
"Goldberg joined the Army when he was 17
and served in Bosnia. He returned to Utah and
signed up for the Army Reserve at 19 because he
wanted to go to Iraq and that's where the
Reserves were going," - Layton soldier
dies in Iraq, by Dawn House, The Salt
Lake Tribune
Army Staff Sgt.
Nino D. Livaudais, 23, of Utah. Died
on April 3, 2003.
Jackie Livaudais, who has two children with
Nino and is pregnant with a third, said she was
proud of her husband. "He had a purpose,"
she said. "He was doing his part as an
American. I knew I never was going to get him
behind a desk. He wanted to make the world better."
- Army Staff Sgt.
Nino D. Livaudais
Army Sgt. Mason
Douglas Whetstone, 30, of Utah. Died
on July 17, 2003.
Sgt. Whetstone died as a result of non-combat
injuries in Baghdad, Iraq. Whetstone was assigned
to the 3d Battalion, 58th Aviation (Forward),
Hanau, Germany. Died on July 17, 2003.
These extraordinary men
were aware they fought for something far greater than
themselves. They served their country to change the world
for the better. They died in an on-going terroristic
culture war waged against the United States that turned
deadly in 1979 when Islamic extremists held fifty-two
Americans hostage in Iran. Between then and the September
11, 2001 attack 800 Americans lost their lives. It took
the catastrophic events of 9/11 to capture the resolve of
the American public.
There is no question that
Saddam Hussein was a dangerous despot and a threat to
America. His regime regularly killed, tortured and
terrorized the Iraqi people. Make no mistake about it -
they welcomed the coalition invasion. Hussein's regime
regularly called
for military and economic assaults on America. This was
far more than internal posturing. He regularly fired on
coalition aircraft patrolling the buffer zone between
Iraq and Kuwait in direct violation of the Persian Gulf
peace agreement, made an assassination attempt on former
President George H.W. Bush, and also planned to attack American ships in
the Persian Gulf by loading a half ton of explosives
aboard a commercial ship with a suicide crew; all of
which were acts of war.
Deposing of the
Hussein regime has born immediate fruit. It can be argued
the middle east is now more stable without the threat
Hussein posed to Iraq's neighbors. America has gained
respect and credibility as evidenced by third-world
leaders responsiveness to American concern about their
growing nuclear capabilities.
One day soon the
people of Iraq will be free to follow their own destiny.
However, the most
profound victories will be long-term. That is the nature
of a cultural war, even one augmented with military
action. Deposing the Hussein regime and dismantling Al-Quida
by itself will only give temporary relief in the War on
Terror. There are several terrorist groups ready to take
up Al-Queda's mission and the middle east culture
produces extremists faster than we can deminish their
forces. Democracy and freedom in the Persian Gulf is our
best hope for a lasting peace.
The
above was written in March 2004, one year after the death
of SSgt. Cawley.
Marine
Lance Cpl. Michael J. Allred, 22, of Hyde
Park, Utah.
Allred died due to enemy action in Al Anbar
Province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion,
1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I
Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton,
California. Died on September 6, 2004.
Marine
Lance Cpl. Cesar F. Machado-Olmos,
20, of Spanish Fork, Utah.
Machado-Olmos died due to a non-combat related
vehicle accident in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He
was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd
Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Died on September
13, 2004.
Army Staff
Sgt. Alan L. Rogers, 49, of Kearns,
Utah.
Rogers died in Bagram, Afghanistan, of non-combat
related injuries. He was assigned to the Army
National Guard's 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation
Regiment, West Jordan, Utah. Died on September 29,
2004.
Please
visit Fallen Heroes
Memorial to pay your respect for
our lost sons.
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