Happy Memorial Day

bobman1235

Thank a soldier today (and my thanks to those among us).

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say 'what should be the reward of such sacrifices? ......If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen" - Samuel Adams

NotaSuv

I had the pleasure of running the IHOP where Robbie was employed.....worked with him, mentored him for almost 2 years....very troubled teen with a abusive past.....no real family, on his own very early in life...we had him in a spare room for 6 months so he save a little....was there with him when e signed up...the "greatest day in my life" planned to really turn his life for the positive...wanted to go into law enforcement...enlisted to serve his country..give his daughter the life he didnt have..........now excuse me while I wipe the tears from my keyboard....

still and always will shed tears for this wonderful solider




San Antonio soldier killed in Iraq grenade attack

Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — From Operation Iraqi Freedom, a Central Texas soldier told of his nights spent in the charred remains of one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces and days spent guarding the Central Bank of Baghdad.

To Robert L. Frantz’s family, it appeared the 19-year-old high school dropout with a 2-year-old daughter and plans to marry had matured quickly since joining the Army and then going overseas for the war in Iraq.

“He wanted his daughter to be proud of him,’’ said his stepfather, Vincent Smith, a Lackland Air Force Base firefighter. “He grew into a man strictly overnight, by joining the Army. He was a little scared, but excited. He knew he was going to do good things.’’

But Frantz died June 17 as a result of a grenade attack the previous night, according to Phil Reidinger, a spokesman for Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

Frantz, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry, was hit with shrapnel while he was standing guard duty. An unknown assailant threw the grenade over a wall in the Iraqi capital.

For the San Antonio native who joined the Army 10 months ago and his family, “this was supposed to be a happy week’’ on the heels of the Spurs’ NBA championship, said Frantz’s mother, Kim Smith.

Instead, the family spent the day coping with the death of Frantz, an Army private first class.

“We thought the war was over,’’ his mother told the San Antonio Express-News. “I told him, ‘Be careful. Watch your back.’ But I had no thoughts that there would be this.’’

Frantz was about 4 when his father died. His family moved a short time later from Michigan to San Antonio, where he attended elementary and middle school. He attended Marshall High School, then withdrew and earned a General Educational Development diploma.

Later while waiting tables at an International House of Pancakes, Frantz met the woman he would eventually makes plans with to marry, Ana Perez.

His daughter, Shannon, 2, is in the custody of her mother, who lives in San Antonio and has remained close to Frantz’s family.

Frantz also had a 22-year-old sister, Heather Frantz, and a stepsister, stepbrother and a 3-year-old brother, who is too young to understand the tragedy.

“He’s been telling us, ‘Don’t be sad, Robby’s coming home,’ ” Vincent Smith said.

Died:
June 17, 2003

avelanchefan

NotaSuv,

My condolences to you and your family. I too lost a very good friend to the war. Her son died in Iraq, and Karen died of a broken heart hours after seeing he son's body return from Iraq. It was devastating for the department I work for.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/attack/41878.php

And those in the Military that are here on clubpolk.....THANK YOU!

petrym

Wife Remembers Fallen Gretna Soldier
Cpl. Alexander Killed By Roadside Bombing In Iraq

POSTED: 3:10 pm CDT May 10, 2007
UPDATED: 4:24 pm CDT May 10, 2007

OMAHA, Neb. -- The wife of a Gretna, Neb., soldier killed in Iraq has released a statement.

In the statement, Kara Alexander, wife of Cpl. Matthew Alexander, said, "Matthew was the most gracious man I knew. He was a loving husband, devoted son, caring brother and the best friend you could ever ask for. Above all, he made it his life's work to take care of those he loved. He fought for a cause he believed in, and on May 6, 2007, died for a country he loved. His heart was made of gold. Matt truly was our angel on Earth. He will be greatly missed."

According to the military, Alexander and five other soldiers were killed May 6 when an improvised explosive device exploded near their vehicle in Baqubah, Iraq.

The military said Alexander enlisted in the Army in July 2004, shortly after finishing high school. His awards and decorations included the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Expert Infantry Badge.

This was his first deployment.

The other soldiers killed in the explosion were Staff Sgt. Vicenzo Romeo, 23, of Lodi, N.J.; Sgt. Jason Robert Harkins, 25, of Clarksville, Ga.; Sgt. Joel William Lewis, 28, of Sandia Park, N.M.; Cpl. Anthony Mitchell Bradshaw, 21, of San Antonio, Texas; and Cpl. Michael Avery Pursel, 19, of Clinton, Utah.

Alexander got married on Valentine's Day to his wife, Kara. He also is survived by his parents, Melvin and Monica Alexander, of Gretna; and brother, Marshall Alexander, of Omaha.

---

I met Matt Feb 2007 the week before Kara and he got married - he was killed 2 and half months later. It's been a year since his death and Kara still wears his dogtags.

http://www.ketv.com/news/13296483/detail.html

NotaSuv

avelanchefan wrote: »

NotaSuv,

My condolences to you and your family. I too lost a very good friend to the war. Her son died in Iraq, and Karen died of a broken heart hours after seeing he son's body return from Iraq. It was devastating for the department I work for.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/attack/41878.php

And those in the Military that are here on clubpolk.....THANK YOU!

As with any tragedy its hard to relate to until it hits home....and then ....devastating to say the least.........

starchaser

semper fi

candyliquor35m

Stay away from the tornados and hail :eek:

petrym

Going Home

steveinaz

Jesus died for your sins, the American Soldier, for your freedom. Land of the free, home of the brave. God bless them and grant them eternal life in the finest of your gardens, for they too have died for someone else, Amen.