In 1979 I was a high school senior. Vietnam was still an open wound and Jimmy Carter was president. The US Olympic hockey team had not yet won Gold and the Iranian Hostage Crisis was a few months in the future. So what does an 18 year old who is oblivious to the world around him do? I joined the Minnesota Army National Guard for a full 6 year hitch. Sure, I joined to get the signing bonus to help pay for college. However, I never lost sight of the fact that I had joined the military and could be called up for active duty.
After high school graduation, I went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for Basic Training and AIT (Advanced Individual Training). I then returned to Minnesota to serve with the 151st Field Artillery in Montevideo, Minnesota. After a couple years I transferred to the battalion headquarters in Anoka, Minnesota where I finished my 6 year commitment in 1985. I have never regretted the experience. I am also very proud of the professionalism of those with whom I served.
Why do I bring this up now? Well, last year both the Montevideo and Anoka National Guard units I served with were called up to active duty and were shipped over to Iraq. On
February 21, 2005 in Iraq, a roadside bomb was detonated killing three soldiers of the 151st Field Artillery in Montevideo. The soldiers, Staff Sgt. David Day, 25, of St. Louis Park, 1st Lt. Jason Timmerman, 25, of Tracy, and Sgt. Jesse Lhotka, 24, of Alexandria were killed while trying to assist a fellow soldiers who were injured in a convoy accident. I pray for those killed and wounded and for their families. I can only imagine grief and loss they are feeling.
I didn't know any of the soldiers who were killed. In fact, I don't believe I know anyone currently serving with the 151st. However, when I heard about these three soldiers being killed, I felt something I did not expect. I've been trying for a couple weeks to figure out what it was that I felt. It wasn't the profound grief of the loss of a loved one. And it wasn't the sadness we, as Americans, feel whenever we hear about an American soldier being killed in the line of duty. It was something else. I think it ws the feeling of the loss of a commrade - or in this case, three commrades. It's been twenty years since I left the Army National Guard. After all this time, it seems, the 151st has not left me.
