We Remember SigEp Patriots

[My apologies for the late post. This was scheduled to post at 8:30am East Coast Time yesterday - about 20 minutes prior to when the first plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001]

Brothers,

The SigEp Patriots Project (SPP) honors the lives, accomplishments and sacrifices of the following Brothers by remembering them on the 13th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11. May they rest in peace.

SigEp Patriots Killed in Action Since 9/11:
Texas Rho Brother Kim Orlando, KIA: 16 OCT 2003, Karbala, Iraq
Georgia Delta Brother Bradley “Dad” Arms, KIA: 19 NOV 2004, Al Anbar Province, Iraq
New York Eta Brother Jacob “Puck” Pfister, KIA: 19 APR 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
Georgia Delta Brother Noah Harris, KIA: 18 JUN 2005, Baqubah, Iraq
Florida Epsilon Brother William Wood, KIA: 27 OCT 2005, Baghdad, Iraq
Louisiana Delta Brother Matthew Barnes, KIA: 14 FEB 2006, Qa’im, Iraq
Ohio Kappa Brother Norman Tollett, KIA: 28 APR 2007, Baghdad, Iraq
Tennessee Theta Brother Jonathan Dozier, KIA: 09 JAN 2008, Sinsil, Iraq
Tennessee Kappa Brother Israel “Izzy” O’Bryan, KIA: 11 JUN 2010, Jalula, Iraq
Tennessee Eta Brother Joshua Lawrence, KIA: 08 OCT 2011, Kandahar City, Afghanistan

The following SigEp Patriots were also killed while in the service of our country overseas since the start of the global war on terrorism:
Tennessee Theta Brother Kenneth Ballard, 30 MAY 2004, Iraq
Tennessee Alpha Brother Joseph “Trane” McCloud, 04 DEC 2006, Iraq

SPP pledges that these men and their service will always be remembered.

Anyone interested in additional information about these brave men please drop me an email.

Fraternally and Respectfully,

Brother Ed Jones, NY Eta '96
Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy Reserve
Founder, SigEp Patriots Project
sigepswhoserve@gmail.com
@SigEpsWhoServe

This Week in SigEp Patriot History, 15 – 21 OCT

Brothers,



Outside Mojo Bones in Norfolk, VA; 12 OCT 2012

Greetings from the new SigEp Patriots Project (SPP) home office in the barracks on Royal Air Force (RAF) Alconbury in the United Kingdom! Before I left the States, I had the pleasure of going to a homecoming event near Old Dominion University (ODU) last Friday where I met a number of great brothers including a number of SigEp Patriots continuing the VA Xi tradition of service to the nation. There were Army, Navy and Marine Corps veterans, as well as VA Xi Patriots serving in the reserves and in ROTC at ODU. Thank you for your service.

16 OCT 2003

On this date, Persian Gulf War and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM Veteran, TX Rho Brother Lieutenant Colonel Kim S. Orlando, U.S. Army made the ultimate sacrifice when he was killed in action in Karbala, Iraq. Brother Orlando was attempting to negotiate with armed men who were congregating after curfew on a road near a mosque. The Iraqis opened fire killing three soldiers and wounding seven others. All the soldiers were assigned to the 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and Kim was the commanding officer of the battalion. At the time, he was the highest-ranking Army officer killed in hostile fire in Iraq.

Kim was known for never hesitating to lead his soldiers personally, whether on a three-mile run in below-freezing temperatures or on patrol in the streets of Karbala. Major Darryl Johnson, of the 716th Military Police Battalion, said Colonel Orlando was “constantly moving to the front and disregarding his own safety.” The battalion comprised no fewer than 400 soldiers, and Kim made it a point to learn the name of each one, said Sergeant Major Rodney Smith, a battalion member.  “For a battalion commander to know your name, that touches anybody,” Smith said.

He enlisted in the Army as a military policeman in 1982 and was commissioned at Fort Benning, GA in 1986. Kim was promoted quickly, and was picked to study at the FBI’s National Academy in Quantico, VA — an exclusive honor for military policemen. When he was killed he was 43, and posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Respect can be paid to Brother Orlando at the Nashville National Cemetery in Nashville, TN. Kim made the ultimate sacrifice, and SPP pledges that his life and service will always be remembered.

 

This Week in SigEp Patriot History, 10 - 16 OCT

While putting the finishing touches to this edition of “This Week” I was watching the Chicago Bear – Minnesota Vikings game. In the third quarter, the Bears observed one of their home field traditions of stopping the game to honor and recognize a member of the U.S. military. The Bears are the only team in the NFL that has this tradition.

This is quite an emotional week in SigEp Patriot history. Eight years ago today, Nashville native TX Rho Brother Lieutenant Colonel Kim S. Orlando, U.S. Army was killed in action in Karbala, Iraq. Earlier this week, it was learned that another son of Tennessee made the ultimate sacrifice when TN Eta Brother Captain Joshua S. Lawrence, U.S. Army was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Our heartfelt condolences to all the families, friends and Brothers who have lost loved ones.

It is because of these and other Brothers that the SigEp Patriots Project (SPP) was formed – to honor and recognize the accomplishments and sacrifices of Brothers who serve/served our great nation in the U.S. military and insure they are always remembered. SPP welcomes partnerships in this effort with Richmond as well as representatives from individual chapters.

Fraternally and Respectfully,

Brother
Ed Jones, NY Eta ‘96
Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy Reserve
Founder, SigEp Patriots Project
sigepswhoserve@gmail.com

10 OCT 1918
World War I Veteran and Ace, NY Beta Brother Major James Armand Meissner, U.S. Army had his sixth aerial victory / “kill” on this date over Bantheville, France in a SPAD XIII aircraft.

11 OCT 1923
World War II Veteran NE Alpha Brother Colonel Addis Thompson “Tad” Ward, U.S. Army / U.S. Army Reserve (Retired) was born on this date.

12 OCT 1942
Vietnam War Veteran TN Alpha Brother Major Selman “Sam” L. Bass, U.S. Army (Retired) was born on this date in Madison College, Tennessee.

12 OCT 1961
Kosovo and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM Veteran FL Epsilon Brother Colonel William Wesley Wood, U.S. Army was born on 12 OCT 1961 in Lubbock, Texas where his father was serving in the Air Force.