Godspeed Nate Hardy and Mike Koch

Posted By Blackfive Chief Petty Officers Nathan H. Hardy and Michael E. Koch.  US Navy Photos.

In the early hours on Monday morning, an American Task Force took down a terrorist compound in Iraq.  In the ensuing fight, two US Navy SEALs were killed by small arms fire while clearing one of the buildings - Chief Petty Officers Nathan H. Hardy and Michael E. Koch.

Nate Hardy, 29, enlisted in the US Navy in 1997 and is survived by his wife - Mindy, 7 month old son - Parker, parents and brother.

Mike Koch, also 29, enlisted in 1998 and had a fiancée, parents, brother and sister.

Both Koch and Hardy families have a tradition of service.  The Kochs are vets and contractors (in Iraq and Afghanistan) and Hardy's grandfather served with John F. Kennedy on PT-109 during WWII.  Mike's brother escorted the bodies of the two SEALs back to the states.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Koch, Hardy and SEAL families.

Below is message from a Soldier serving in Iraq:

Last Sunday while most of America was enjoying the Superbowl several members of our Task Force were commencing an assault on a terrorist stronghold in Iraq. During the assault two of our brothers from the Navy were shot and killed while clearing a building that was occupied by terrorist insurgents. Ultimately, the building was reduced and all of the terrorists in it were destroyed by the assault force. Remember these names, Mike and Nate. They were good men doing honorable work in the name of freedom. The terrorists they sought to destroy were responsible for unspeakable acts of evil including the construction of improvised explosive devices and explosives to equip homicide bombers. For those of you who may not understand the enemy we face out here let me remind you that the previous week this group of terrorists took two innocent and unwitting women who had Downs Syndrome, rigged them with explosive vests and detonated them 20 minutes apart in a crowded market causing several deaths and hundreds of injuries. These terrorists used innocent people as unwitting vehicles to destroy more innocent lives. There is good and there is evil in this world. The enemy we face is evil. Mike and Nate were fighting on the side of good to prevent further acts of evil that would result in the loss of more innocent lives. The next time you pray I ask you to thank God for giving Mike and Nate the talent and skill that made them great warriors and thank God that he gave them the heart to apply those God given talents to destroy evil and further the cause of freedom in a land far from their home. Thank God for men like Mike and Nate. Their work is done here now, but there are many of us who will honor their sacrifice by continuing the fight against evil terrorists. They will be remembered through our actions.

For any of you out there who are doubting the validity of this war and the evil that resides in our enemy I ask you to study your history again. Over the last 20+ years dating back to the bombing of the Marine Corps Barracks in Lebanon, various factions of radical Islamic Terrorists have been committing heinous acts of terrorism against the free world. We are fighting the same enemy here. The brethren of an evil ideology that spawned the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001 claiming almost 3,000 innocent lives. Take time to reflect on the type of evil that would put explosive vests on innocent women with Downs Syndrome and use them to kill and maim other innocent people. While the American media strives everyday to rewrite the history of the most generous nation in the free world and cast disparity over all that we do as a Nation men like Mike and Nate are giving their lives to make sure the real history doesn't repeat itself. While the American media strives daily to erase the memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and paint this war as an unjust occupation of a sovereign nation men like Mike and Nate are out here hunting down and destroying the enemies of the very freedom that allows our media to try and discredit us. Terrorism is real, evil is real, this war is real and real men and women are in this fight because righteousness and freedom are worth fighting for.

If you don't support this war I'm calling you out. I've had enough of people sitting in their living rooms watching the lying media and jumping on the bandwagon against this war. Don't ever say to me, "I support the troops, but not the war." You might as well be telling me that I'm committing a crime. You are in effect saying that my cause is unjust and everything I believe in is a lie. I have held my tongue in the past, but I will never allow you to have it both ways again. You cannot support me if you do not support this war. I am this war. It embodies everything that I believe in. If you believe that what we are doing here is wrong then you are in effect supporting the evil we seek destroy. If you believe I'm wrong for trying to stop evil people from taking more innocent lives then I fear there is no hope for you. If you choose to dishonor my service and the sacrifice of my fallen brothers by taking a position against this war you are free to make that choice thanks to guys like Mike and Nate, but don't expect me to sit idly by and bite my tongue while you do it. Do it in my presence and be prepared to try and support your feeble position while I enlighten everyone else on the reality of this war and the nature of the enemy we face. I will ensure that you look like the fool that you are.

The stuff I'm seeing out here you won't see on Oprah Winfrey. I'm seeing really evil people doing really evil things and I'm doing everything in my power to stop them. There's nothing wrong or unjust about that.

Sincerely,

_________ the Angry American

Remember Nate and Mike...

Update:  Soldiers Angels is providing a way for you to send a note of sympathy to the Koch and Hardy families.  RichardUSA is coordinating the effort (THANK YOU RICHARD!) and provided this advice in the Comment section.

For anyone wishing to send condolence cards to the families you may send them to me at the following address and I will see that the families receive them. Please note that EVERY card received will be opened and read by me to insure no one sends anything offensive to the families. Please put "Blackfive" in the corner of the envelope so I can mention to the families where the cards are coming from.

The addresses are:

The Family of Chief Petty Officer Nathan H. Hardy
or
The Family of Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch
C/O Patriot Support
716 Centre of New England Blvd. #173
Coventry, RI 02816

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This is the second time in recent days that I'm reminded of what COL McKnight said to me two weeks ago: "Attacks are down, but there is �frankly, an evil still out there...that doesn�t hesitate to kill families, women and children. It's not over, ove... [Read More]

Comments

[ArtbyRuth]

God bless those young men and may He be with their families at this time.

As a mom of a boy named Nate (short for Nathan which means, "Gift of God") my heart aches for those moms. My 12 yr. old son announced to us this week that he wants to join the Marine Corps after high school to "defend the country" as a man.

I will have him read this post so he can see what the cost of war is and who is fighting this war. I am proud of my son's willingness to fight for his country as a Marine (his dad is a former Marine and so is his grandpa), but I want him to understand the realities of war.

I pray for all our military daily and pray Psalm 41:1-2 over them too.

[vet66]

Exactly right! God Bless Nate and Mike and their respective families.

No quarter to those who salve what little conscience they profess to have by saying they support the troops but oppose the war. That phony logic doesn't cut it now, before, or after.

Remember Berkeley. The Marines are, as usual, leading by example.

Stand up for what is right and stand up for Nate and Mike.

[ST333]

God Bless Nate, Mike and all the brave men and women both in our military and that of our allies. As long you men and women fight the insurgents there, I'll continue to fight the insurgents on the left and in the media here. God Speed, you'll never be forgotten.

[Caleb]

God giveth and God taketh away. God has given America some of the finest people and warriors that the world has seen, and too many of our citizens do not appreciate it. In this day when the prevaling attitude of the multitudes is Me, Me, Mine, Mine, Gimme, Gimme, we still find resevoirs of courage, honor, love of country, duty, and yes, heroism. It is not the sheep, the follower, the back marker that is taken from us too soon. It is the leader, the one that says follow me and I will take you to safety, that is the one that is lost way, way too soon. Yet where would we be without them, these fine warriors and leaders? We would be enslaved, that is where we would be.

During the Vietnam era we had such leaders and warriors also. During that era we also had the disgusting citizen pukes that would not lift a finger to help our military fight a war, but would lift a whole fist in a successful effort to stop the war and brand a whole generation of warriors as savage baby killers and criminals. Back then the powers that be, the "Silent Majority" mostly stood silent and let it happen. Some of us vowed never again to let this happen. This wonderful web blog is populated with quite a few that said never again. When you join in honoring these two warriors, you are joining in saying "never again."

God rest their souls, for their work is finished. Now the rest of us must struggle to uphold the nobility of their sacrifice on our behalf. Please, folks, let no single anti-war, anti-military scum bag go unchallenged. Let them suffer the extreme discomfort that their traitorous and cowardly actions so justly deserve.

God Speed, Nate and Mike. I am sure that "The One" would want you to contact Mikey, and Axe, and Dietz on his behalf. God is putting together quite a SEAL team for Himself.

[Lands’nGrooves]

RIP Gentlemen

Angry American,

Damn straight, “There's nothing wrong or unjust about that.” Keep up the good fight and please know that some of us do indeed TRULY SUPPORT YOU.

[Deltabravo]

Hooyah, Nate. Hooyah, Mike. May you find the eternal peace which you gave your lives to defend for us, your fellow citizens. And may God give your families the strength to carry on.

[mindy1]

I will ALWAYS appreciate those like them. I wish their families well and thanks for those like them. rip :(

[Mr.Sparkle]

In 2007 apparently Ron Paul collected the most campaign contributions from the military ($212,000) and Obama was 2nd ($94,000). The troops hate the troops? Anyway

N.B. RIP Seals.

[Kath]

For their families I pray for strength. I hope they know how many people care and how many people are heartbroken over the lives lost.
The cost of war is this agonizing pain.

[john Ryan]

Pre surge/ post surge Americans overwhelmingly think that the war in Iraq was a mistake. http://www.gallup.com/poll/1633/Iraq.aspx
In 9 months we will have another election and Americans will have the chance to make their views on the war known.

[Kath]

Wow, John Ryan, thanks for that supposed info. I know I believe every poll I see "results" for. Nice of you to take this opportunity to pass on your sympathies to the families.

[douglas]

Sympathy to the families, friends and team members these men of valor leave behind.

My gratitude is great, but not enough.

Mr. Sparkle: Please save your idiocy for posts of a less sensitive subject. Since the vast majority of political donations are uncategorized for employer, there is no way for anyone to know who gets the most donations from either active military, and certainly vets.

[Grimmy]

Rest in Peace, Warriors.

[RichardUSA]

God Bless Chief Petty Officers Nathan H. Hardy and Michael E. Koch. May there souls rest in everlasting peace and their Families and Teamates find comfort in the memories of two fine men.

For anyone wishing to send condolence cards to the families you may send them to me at the following address and I will see that the families receive them. Please note that EVERY card received will be opened and read by me to insure no one sends anything offensive to the families. Please put "Blackfive" in the corner of the envelope so I can mention to the families where the cards are coming from.

Send to:

The Family of Chief Petty Officer Nathan H. Hardy
or
The Family of Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch
C/O Patriot Support
716 Centre of New England Blvd. #173
Coventry, RI 02816

Matt - if you want to post this on your site in another way, please feel free to do so.

Richard
Soldiers Angels

[Steve O.]

Nate, Mike;

Fair winds and following seas, my brothers.

You will never be forgotten. Thank you for your sacrifice. My children will know your names.

God Bless you and your families whom we can never re-pay.

Carry on On High, sailors....

With eternal gratitude,

Steve O.

[kant]

Hoo-yah Nate, Hoo-yah Mike

Fair winds and following seas my Bro's. You lived and died as true warriors. I celebrate your lives and will have a cold one on ya, at the grinder. RIP!

Mr. Sprakle, The military for the most part does not participate in party politcals, especially in public, they serve the civilian goverment of whatever party. So the numbers you speak of only reflect what you dont know and really has no place in this post of celebration and rememberance.

[winemkr]

Sparkle,I only wish that you could take the place of those two brave squids.

[Mark Ducharme]

God, please bless Seals, Michael E. Koch and Nathan H. Hardy. Please take custody of them as very few of us, here in America, are worthy of them. May their loved ones find some comfort in You.

"Angry American", please don't ever bite your tongue again -if you can help it- because those were some of the most lucid and to the point words ever written about the war. May God bless you and yours as well. Amen

[adam lindquist]

I knew Nate personally. He was an awesome, strong, good man who everyone liked to be around. He was a natural leader, an excellent friend, and a hard worker. He will be missed.

May God bless his wife and little baby.

[wholebrainer]

My dad died this Tuesday. He was 88, and a veteran of WWII [66th Infantry Div], and Korea. For the longest time I was afraid that our generation was a lost cause when it came to doing the right thing, but I can't tell you how much more hope I have now, after these past few months of reading the TRUTH - on BLACKFIVE, and Michael Yon's site, to name two - about the men serving, volunteering no less, risking their lives and frequently giving up their lives for ME. Yes, I sit in my living room, safe, but trust me, I know who to thank for that PRIVILEGE...men like Nate Hardy, Mike Koch, and my father, Ralph H. Stanton. May they rest in peace. Sincerely, Patrice Stanton

[Cincinnati_Bob]

Angry American. I can't imagine how someone could say it better.

May peace be with these heroes, their families and friends sooner rather than later.

Sparkle and little johnny - You are Garbage. May you come to realize it someday and may it haunt you that you are so sociopathic and FOS that you find it necessary to dump garbage on a post like this when you can take your pick of just about any other each and every day. You certainly exemplify the liberal fascist.

[ooogaboooga]

what is the difference between a terrorist, an insurgent and a terrorist insurgent?

my guess is the uniforms. bwdik

[MCPORet]

Rest in peace Chiefs. I'll see you in the Goat Locker on the other side one day.

Angry American is spot on with his post. I just wish all the hard core "principled conservatives" who have decided not to vote for the one POTUS candidate that will allow our Warriors to finish their job, or worse, vote for the D on the election ticket to "send a message" to all republicans would read AA's post. Maybe it would wake them up to how that is abandoning the principles of our Warriors that want the opportunity to finish this war successfully.

[egibbon]

To the Angry American:

If you are really serving in Iraq. thank you for your service. Now, get the hell out of my Army. You are a disgrace to the memories of CPOs Hardy and Kock.

Angry American, there are two things your pea brain just can’t get your mind around:

1. The use of lethal force by the Army needs to be carefully calibrated. “Kill all the bad guys!” just ain’t a strategy. There are too many of them and it happens to be their country. You will run out of ammunition and time long before you run out of bad guys you fool.

2. Americans who disagree with you are not your enemy. You want to call me out because I think the Iraq war is stupid and was unnecessary? You don’t know what America stands for you idiot. You don’t understand dissent in our free country. What the hell makes you think you are fit to fight for democracy in Iraq?

You claim to be an “embodiment of my army.” You are wrong. You are an embarrassment. Your talk reminds me of brave Capt William Calley at My Lai and the brave Army guards at Abu Ghraib.

Angry American, you are exhibit A as proof that my wonderful, brave, U.S. Army doesn’t have the kind of strategy or the number of quality troops necessary to successfully fight a counter-insurgency in Iraq.

Its time to cut our losses so more brave, worthy men like CPOS Hardy and Kock will not die in vain.

A Patriotic American

[RichardUSA]

The Angry American - Thank you for saying what needed to be said and heard loud and clear by ALL Americans.

Matt - I know you do not eradicate comments lightly but in light of the fact that this post is about two Fallen American Heroes, I hope you consider eliminating the comments of the trolls lurking here.

To the Trolls - Show some respect for Men who's shoes you are not fit to shine. These men gave their lives for your right to behave like idiots. Does that mean you SHOULD behave like idiots? NO, it doesn't. Give these Men, their Families and their Teammates the respect they deserve and post your garbage someplace else.

[tnorris]

egibbon
You are sick. You have obviously never been in that part of the world. Having lived and worked with Arabs for several years, I can tell you that while there many good, decent ones, there are also a lot of truly nasty and evil ones. And due to the culture the only thing they respect is power. If you try to be nice, they simply think you are weak. Therefor they can do what ever they want. If you want them to be nice, you have to smack them upside the head, HARD.
tnorris

[rick554]

May God rest their Souls and may HE grant their Families Peace. This Family will Never forget your Sacrifices, and we wont be still and "move on". During Viet, the "Silent Majority" didnt have the internet as an option. Those times have changed. These 2 young Men gave their lives for an Honorable and Just Cause. Its up to us now to continue on!
ALWAYS FORWARD!
God bless our TROOPS!!

[JusCruzn]

God Bless Mike and Nate and all of their families!!! To all of those who have never experienced the absolute horrors of war but yet enjoy the freedom that it supports, maybe you should have been in lower manhattan on 9/11 and been hit in the head by parts of bodies or whole bodies. If that is what it takes to get you to understand what true evil is you are pretty pathetic. These brave men gave their lives for you to enjoy the freedoms that so many here take for granted because they know nothing else!!! Those that know nothing should at the very least have the good common sense to keep their mouths shut while they enjoy the freedoms that our armed forces provide for all of us everyday!

[Rich Casebolt]

Damn ... two more families who have received those folded colors, way too early.

May we honor these Men, by having the resolve to ignore the myopic among us, and see this process through in Iraq and Afghanistan until the native sons and daughters of these lands can firmly establish rights-respecting governance there ...

... and by doing so, make our own life and liberty here more secure.

Do that, and we can save those folded colors for others like them ...

... save them for presentation at the proper time; the end of a long and fruitful life, as they enjoy a reunion with their mothers in the Courtyard of the Almighty (and with their comrades at Fiddler's Green) ...

... instead of presenting them, again and again and again, to mothers and young wives ...

... simply because We the People, and those we elect, are too stupid to recognize -- let alone decisively deal -- with the enemies of life and liberty.

[Deltabravo]

Rich, as always, you say it so well. I second the motion to eliminate the trollish tripe here so that any family members who may see this are not offended by blatant ignorance. (Yes, our men fight and die for those who are too stupid to see the danger themselves.)

[defendusa]

Patriotic American...
You can have a different opinion, but where the hell do YOU get off, passing judgement on what soldiers know about freedom of speech and calling them idiots? Got a mirror, idiot? "My" Military (since I pay taxes, too)has more balls than you will ever have as did the SEALS Hardy and Koch. Armchair commanding and wishing that the "stupid" war could be over from your perpective gives you squat to come here and dis what those on the ground know. Those guys get it down to their souls what Duty, Honor, Country means. Do you? Hardy, Koch, and their fellow SEALs Murphy, Axelson, Dietz were wiling to give it all. And what have you done? You come here to spit in the face of those sacrifices and show a total lack of respect. I have never let s adisrespectful troll slide.
My spologies to everyone else, but It isn't in my make-up to give a pass on a punk.

[defendusa]

RIP Koch, and Hardy. God Bless your families.

[jordan]

Thank you, trolls, for demonstrating the utter correctness of Angry American's views. God bless our fighting forces.

[Maggie45]

Thank you, Young Warriors, for the lives that you so willingly gave for our freedoms here at home. May God hold you in His arms, and grant comfort to your families. They will always be in my prayers.

[Watergirl]

MCOPORet/'Patriotic American' How dare you criticize this soldier in Iraq for his on-the-ground observations and subsequent feelings? You besmirch the sacrifices of these Navy SEALS and the casualties who have preceded them in this war against Islamic terrorism. Please go find a gutter to finish your MD20-20 off in and leave those of us still fighting alone. I might be "just a girl" but I surely hope you cross my path someday, or better yet my crosshairs, and I'll register my reaction just a little more thoroughly. I pray to God that you are not a Vietnam vet who had a bad homecoming and if you are, then please forgive my immediate anger towards you, but you are out of line. You hang in there, Iraqi soldier, and know we are behind you. God bless you and your fellow warriors.

[Richardson]

RIP Chief Hardy and Chief Kock.

v/r
ENS Richardson

[Laughing Wolf]

Mr. Sparkle,

You have been warned once before about coming in and taking a dump in a post like this. As far as I am concerned, you can consider this your final warning. I suggest, most strongly, that you limit your pseudo-intellectual diarrhea to other posts, as your continued contempt to the fallen and disrespect to those who seek to honor them is NOT appreciated by any here. Don't bother to apologize, as that insincere exercise on your part has been heard before.

LW

[Laughing Wolf]

BTW, there are at least two others in here that can take this as a warning as well. This post is to show respect to the fallen and their families. It is not about politics. If you can't understand that, just don't say a word and don't let the door hit you in your ample fundament on the way out.

LW

[egibbon]

Laughing Wolf,

Seriously – Read The Angry American’s message which was posted by Blackfive for our reading and comments.

AA’s first paragraph is all about Mike and Nate’s brave actions and how we owe them our respect. No problem. Who could argue with those sentiments? Not me for sure!

But then comes the rubbish from which I will quote only a few sentences that stood out to me:

If you don't support this war I'm calling you out.

Don't ever say to me, "I support the troops, but not the war." You might as well be telling me that I'm committing a crime.

You cannot support me if you do not support this war. I am this war.

If you believe that what we are doing here is wrong then you are in effect supporting the evil we seek destroy.

Laughing Wolf, those are NOT – as you claim --“words of respect to the fallen and their families.” AA is engaging in offensive political speech that seeks to divide Americans (into good guys and bad guys) and shows a willingness to cut off a valid question: Should this war in Iraq continue given the costs to America and particularly the brave individuals and their families who bear the brunt of the war?

From my point of view, if you guys are gonna post the kind of language that The Angry American uses to try and put down those who have a different political view, then you guys ought to be able to tolerate a little dissent. Like they say, “If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.”

Or do you really intend to ban those which whom you disagree?

A Patriotic American

[Kath]

Excuse me, may I butt in here?
Mr. (or Ms.) egibbon, my feeling is that AA wrote out of sadness and heartbreak and passion.
My feeling is that you wrote out of calculating coldness.
And, as sometimes/often seems the case, when someone is chastised they start pulling out quotes to justify themselves.
And they can ban whoever they want (hopefully you) bec. they were trying to tell you this is not the time and place for this stance at this moment.

[MCPORet]

Posted by: Watergirl | February 09, 2008 at 11:51 PM

Watergirl....I'll say this as gently as I can out of respect for my fellow Chief Petty Officers who have paid the ultimate price for liberty....

Go back and re-read my post. I was supporting the post of Angry American and very clearly so. Do you have a problem with that?

[Janet]

God bless Nate and Mike, and thank you for your service, in protecting me, my family and our country. My thoughts and prayers go out to your family and your teammates as well still out there fighting the fight. Warriors like you with your integrity and honor make me so proud to be an American.
We need more of the likes of you representing our country to others throughout the world.
Regarding the angry American; HOOYAH! Thanks for your service as well, it's warriors like you that make me proud. We need to keep up the good fight.
(I won't even respond to egibbon, as this isn't the time or place, except to say that you don't represent me. And it's Koch not Kock)

[egibbon]

Kath,

So writing offensive political ideas out of “sadness or heartbreak or passion” is good?

And writing opposing political ideas out of “calculating coldness” is bad?

And you would embrace embrace the former and ban the latter?

IMHO that’s a poor way to evaluate competing political ideas.

How do you think we ought to decide how long America stays in this war in Iraq?

Should we base our decisions on our passions?

Or should we base our decisions with a calculating coldness about what is ultimately best for America and, particularly, our soldiers and marines who willingly give their very health and lives and the welfare of their families over to the political decisions made by our civilian and military leaders.

The Angry American wants to limit us to a one sided discussion. Even worse, he wants to divide Americans into good guys and bad guys.

Astonishingly, some (maybe most) on this blog agree or at least tolerate that point of view. Watergirl even wrote, “ . . . but I surely hope you cross my path someday, or better yet my crosshairs, and I'll register my reaction just a little more thoroughly.”

I would expect calculating coldness like that from a Shia leader who opposes the OIF. I was surprised to see it tolerated by Laughing Wolf in this blog which stands for supporting and defending the Constitution of the USA.

I can only speculate how long Laughing Wolf would let me stay on this blog if I had been dumb enough to write something that sinister about another blogger’s comment.

A Patriotic American

[egibbon]

Janet,

You are right to point out my mistake. CPO Mike Koch and his family deserve to have his name spelled right. My apologies.

A Patriotic American

[Kath]

Ok, ok. Let's see what quote you can come up with this time.
My point was that this was not meant to be a political discussion, but since you seem to insist on it -- fine. What I SAID was this was not the time and place and by the very virtue of the fact that you INSIST on pointing out your point of view shows how annoying you are. I didn't use the words good and bad, you did.

Just stop it. Be a grown-up and wait until we are having a war and politics discussion to shove your point of view in everyone's face.

[Kath]

My apolgies to the other people here who are grown-ups. And thank you goes again to these young men and their friends and families.

[Laughing Wolf]

Kath, not a problem, and thank you; and, thank you Janet. Most of all, thank you Nate Hardy and Mike Koch.

LW

[MaryAnn]

Rest in peace, young Warriors.

May Mike's and Nate's families, friends, and fellow Team members know they do not mourn alone. We will remember these Heroes always - with pride, and with gratitude.

[Maggie45]

LW, did I ever tell you how much I respect you? (BG)

[shelly peabody]

God bless Mike and Nate's family.
They were both too young to go, however, they were both doing what they loved to do. And if anyone ever has to go, let it be when they are doing what they love.
Mike you will be missed so much, by everyone you touched. If you didn't know Mike, I am sorry for you. He had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. Mike you will always be with everyone who loved you!
God bless all of our soldiers and their families!