Brothers means that I will always come for you. No Matter what the cost.

September is the month that is synonymous with the end of summer, the beginning of school, and the transition into fall.  For others as August draws near September looms over them like thick Iraqi moon dust stirred up by a couple hundred pounds of hidden explosives.  September is a time where grizzled veterans drink a little bit more with those that can't be with us.  To the untrained eye those men look like they're drinking alone but I can assure you, they are not.
In September of 2007, 2/16IN REG lost 6 Soldiers.  The butterfly effect from that month spans life times.  On September 4th, 2007 the 2nd Platoon of Charlie Company would leave FOB Rustamiyah and return later in the evening, one truck and five soldiers short of what they left with.  Those on that patrol will never forget how hot it was on that day.  The 7th anniversary of that day passed recently.  I had no idea what to write or what to say.  I saw several posts on different media sites.  I lurked back read and said nothing.  I wondered about the families.  I thought about the men who were there.  I thought about what ISIS is doing in that country right now.  I thought about how the war in Iraq had been officially been over now for 3 years.
My biggest fear is that those men will be forgotten and that younger generations won't know who they are or their sacrifice.  Their personalities are so much more than a name on a stone or a wall.  I believe that as one of the people that was influenced by them that I try to infuse their legacy into the Soldiers that I encounter.  That lessons learned on that day will never be repeated.  That the bravery that was displayed on that day will never be forgotten.  When asked why I do it I will always tell the new Soldiers, I do it because I get to serve with real heroes everyday.  On that day I served with Joel Lee Murray, Duncan Crookston, Randol Shelton, David Lane, and Joseph Mixon, as they road in the deadliest position in the convoy, lead.
I always tell my Soldiers that the only reason why we do what we do is because of the bond that we share.  Because you know no matter what that they will come for you.  On Sept 4th they did.  I watched Soldiers brave a blazing inferno of a truck with ammunition cooking off to get to their brothers and pull them to safety.  They didn't care about anything but getting them out of the truck.  Although it was too late for some of the guys it didn't matter.  They will come for you.  No matter what!  Real life heroes gave their lives and limbs that day, real life heroes risked everything to save them.
September is a reminder for the families who had uniformed men knock on their door to tell them their son was not coming home.  September is a month where a widow finds out that her son or daughter will grow up with out a father.  I think about those kids.  I hope they know and will always know how great their dads were.  Young Jerry I can tell you that your dad was a lion.  One of the smartest men I knew.  He loved you so much.  Isabelle your daddy carried around a stuffed animal of yours all the time and he was one of the funniest people that I ever met.  All of us loved your fathers and we carry around their memories with us.
To the parents, your sons had an incredible impact on all of us.  When this month rolls around we try to keep their memory alive.  As leaders we do it on a daily basis.  It's not just this month it's all of the time.  All of us have certain triggers that take us back to that day.  Your loved ones will never be forgotten.
Til Valhalla Gents until we can serve again.  We miss you.  You'll never be forgotten.

Stars n Stripes Article