Im coming home. No the mission is not complete. The mission was to fly all over the country and brief the families of 5 of our fallen on the events surrounding the tragic friendly fire incident on the 9th of June. The mission is far from over. The secondary task was to provide assistance and support to our new gold star families. This wasnt a one time deal but , as I see it a lifelong commitment I have to them. Its in our charter to take care of those families. Its another thing unspoken but, understood by all trigger pullers if I dont make it take care of my family and ensure they know that I loved them. Our job is inherently dangerous period. Young men are led by other young men and decisions are made. You make the best decisions you can sometimes while under fire and extreme amounts of physical and mental stress. Although the details anger me beyond belief; Ive done my best to put myself in anothers boots. This isnt to excuse mistakes and accidents but, to understand, hold accountable , apply lessons learned, and forgive. Those who contributed to the chain of events that resulted in 5 u.s. Kia are broken up over this gurranteed. This hasnt been easy for anyone involved. Its physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. You go into each town and you understand a part of who that person was before he was a soldier. I can see justin Clouse driving an old pickup truck through the small town of sprague,wa going to hunt or go shooting. I can see Aaron Toppen doing the same in mokena,il, maybe wearing a ball cap with a fish hook in it. You go to each town with no good news , its all bad. I wanted to puke during each brief. Its a horrible experience each time. Its like being tied to the train tracks and watching the headlights of the train coming toward you, realizing the eventuality of your circumstances. One of the men from the briefing team asked me last night Jason who takes care of you after this? I told him Im blessed to have a network of the finest Americans I could ever ask for. Led by none other than my beautiful wife Leah. Shes supported me through all of this and sacrificed so I could do my best for the families. The mission isnt over. We will all love and honor the memories of these men. I hope we can all begin healing now. Goodbyes suck so instead Ill say dudes Ill meet you at the ORP. (Objective rally point). Rip cpl justin r Clouse and Pfc Aaron s Toppen you will always be in our hearts. Dont worry about your families. I know of a certain platoon that will take care of them.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:04:33 +0000
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