Red River 44
September 14, 2009
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
DALLAS -- Almost a year ago to the day, Red River 44 took off from Kuwait, bound for Balad in central Iraq.
Seven National Guardsmen, three of them from North Texas, were aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
They were among the last soldiers of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment to move into Iraq for the beginning of their 10-month deployment.
Except that Red River 44 went down around midnight Sept. 17, killing all seven men: four Texans and three Oklahomans. It was the worst one-day loss of men for the Texas National Guard since World War II.
Sunday marked the end of their return home.
Under a constant and soaking rain, the last of their remains were buried in a single battleship-gray casket at the top of a hill in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, a fitting end, some said, because of their close relationship while alive.
"I'm glad they did this," said Glenda Hamilton, the mother of Chief Warrant Officer Corry A. Edwards, 38, who lived in Kennedale. "This is good. This is closure."
Edwards and 1st Lt. Robert Vallejo II, 28, who lived in North Richland Hills, were already buried at the national cemetery. "Section 7," Hamilton said. "There's only one grave in between them. We visit both of them when we come."
The accident also killed Sgt. Anthony Luke Mason, 37, of Springtown; Chief Warrant Officer Brady J. Rudolf, 37, of Oklahoma City; 1st Sgt. Julio Ordonez, 54, of San Antonio; Sgt. Daniel Eshbaugh, 43, of Norman, Okla.; and Cpl. Michael E. Thompson, 23, of Kingston, Okla.
The graveside ceremony, attended by hundreds of soldiers from the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard, was followed by a memorial service in the unit's hangar in southwest Dallas.
Amid a few poignant songs, including an a cappella version of The Lord's Prayer, and the often-difficult speeches from commanders, the most memorable part of the service was the presentation of flags to each of the men's children.
There were 18 of them, some of them stoic teenagers, some crying children and one 9-month-old boy who never laid eyes on his dad.
Red River 44
September 14, 2009
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
DALLAS -- Almost a year ago to the day, Red River 44 took off from Kuwait, bound for Balad in central Iraq.
Seven National Guardsmen, three of them from North Texas, were aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
They were among the last soldiers of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment to move into Iraq for the beginning of their 10-month deployment.
Except that Red River 44 went down around midnight Sept. 17, killing all seven men: four Texans and three Oklahomans. It was the worst one-day loss of men for the Texas National Guard since World War II.
Sunday marked the end of their return home.
Under a constant and soaking rain, the last of their remains were buried in a single battleship-gray casket at the top of a hill in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, a fitting end, some said, because of their close relationship while alive.
"I'm glad they did this," said Glenda Hamilton, the mother of Chief Warrant Officer Corry A. Edwards, 38, who lived in Kennedale. "This is good. This is closure."
Edwards and 1st Lt. Robert Vallejo II, 28, who lived in North Richland Hills, were already buried at the national cemetery. "Section 7," Hamilton said. "There's only one grave in between them. We visit both of them when we come."
The accident also killed Sgt. Anthony Luke Mason, 37, of Springtown; Chief Warrant Officer Brady J. Rudolf, 37, of Oklahoma City; 1st Sgt. Julio Ordonez, 54, of San Antonio; Sgt. Daniel Eshbaugh, 43, of Norman, Okla.; and Cpl. Michael E. Thompson, 23, of Kingston, Okla.
The graveside ceremony, attended by hundreds of soldiers from the Texas and Oklahoma National Guard, was followed by a memorial service in the unit's hangar in southwest Dallas.
Amid a few poignant songs, including an a cappella version of The Lord's Prayer, and the often-difficult speeches from commanders, the most memorable part of the service was the presentation of flags to each of the men's children.
There were 18 of them, some of them stoic teenagers, some crying children and one 9-month-old boy who never laid eyes on his dad.