 US Military Lead
Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers from the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, which is based at Fort Carson, Colo., came together on a warm afternoon to commemorate the lives of Staff Sgt. Gary Jeffries, Sgt. James Craig, Cpl. Evan Marshall, Spc. Brandon Meyer and Pfc. Joshua Young. Stories were told about each that revealed a softer side behind the typical bravado of an infantryman. Jeffries was revered as the resident "old man" of the bunch, who enjoyed getting a rouse out of his friend, Sgt. 1st Class Felipe Cruz, through early morning calls and subsequent hang ups. Craig's "cheesy" sense of humor was cited by his friend, Sgt. Jacob Sandoz. Marshall was remembered for his generosity and willingness to help someone in need by Sgt. Tyler Daly. Meyer, as Pfc. Anthony Mims said during the ceremony, was always more than willing to help anyone who needed it. Young, the newest member of the group, was also remembered as a tech-savy man who often had a stack of computers he was working on in the room he shared with Spc. Richard Jackson. Jeffries, as Cruz described, was an "awesome dad" to his children Zachary and Sierra. "Jeff, there's no need to tell them that you love them - no need at all because I'm sure that they know," Cruz said. "You were their hero." Craig's cheesy jokes often brought smiles to the faces of those around him, even if those smiles were out of pity. "I remember one time on our way through Ireland at the airport as we walked in, he saw that everything was written in English, expecting it to be written in Gaelic, he commented, ‘Man, they really did it up for us, didn't they?' assuming they tried to make the airport more accessible for Americans," Santoz said. Marshall was a man who was proud of his accomplishments and reveled in working to perfect anything he tried. One such instance revolved around an unmanned aerial vehicle class he attended in 2007. "Marshall went to Raven school about a year ago. It always seemed so dumb to us, but he was so proud of it; he would always brag about it," Daly said. "He would say things like this, if you had a Raven, you could do an air MEDEVAC or air drop a tank. He would always talk about how he was a United States Aviator. "He could always make you laugh. Always." Meyer, who friends affectionately referred to as Lurch, excelled in baseball in high school to the point of achieving a scholarship. He excelled in Army physical fitness events as well. "He always gave me a hard time because I could never run as fast as he could," Mims said, "but how could you possibly run as fast as somebody that had legs that were eight feet long?" Young joined the Army with a full plate of career options in front of him and chose Infantry because of the opportunities it offered. "Young said he joined the Infantry to make a difference where the fight is on the ground - and that's what he did. He made a difference where the fight is. We are proud he did and proud of him," Jackson said. The five Soldiers died when their vehicle was struck with a deep-buried IED in a village near Mosul. Their deaths are the first for the Striker Brigade in the brigade's third deployment to Iraq. The 3rd BCT has had 30 total Soldiers killed in those deployments. Even with the loss, those who spoke at the memorial were proud of the work they are doing and eager to honor their friends' memories. "Given the situation, Sgt. Craig would not want us mourn his death but remember how he lived," Sandoz said. "He'd want us to continue fighting the fight we were fighting today." ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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