Vincent Bove Article / In Remembrance: Honoring American Military Sacrifices

Recently, I had the privilege of addressing 300 educators of the Wallkill Central School District in Wallkill, New York. Although the presentation focused on school security and character education, as with all of my speaking engagements, I concluded my remarks with a tribute to the sacrifices of American military personnel.

Shortly after the presentation, I received a touching email from Mrs. Marion Dooley, an attendee of the Wallkill venue. Marion expressed her pride, appreciation and honor while viewing the tribute. It was especially moving for Marion because her only two sons are in the Army and her youngest son, 1st Lieutenant Mark H. Dooley, 27, was killed in Iraq on September 19, 2005. Marion thanked me for the tribute and expressed a hope that American military sacrifices would always be remembered and honored.

It is profoundly critical that America honors all American military personnel, especially those whom have made the ultimate sacrifice. Honoring the families whose loved ones in military service have lost their lives is our responsibility and it must be expressed through compassion, character, courage, and understanding.

America honors Marion Dooley and her husband Peter, who lost their son in Iraq, as well as her family and all families who have been affected, by paying tribute to Lt. Mark H. Dooley and other individuals representing American military commitment, loyalty, selflessness, courage, service and sacrifice.

Mark H. Dooley graduated Norwich University a private military college in Northfield, Vermont in 2002. Mark then became a Wilmington, Vermont police officer. Police Chief Joseph M. Szarejko said, "Mark was an outstanding young guy."

Prior to law enforcement and military careers, Mark worked for Walt Overfield, owner of a Pizzeria in Modena, New York, who said, "He was the best person I’ll ever know."

Aside from his loving mom Marion, Mark is survived by his dad Peter who remembers his son as a man with "a strong sense of right and wrong and the police and military structure felt right to him," and a brother Pete still serving in the army.

After their final embrace before deployment to Iraq, Mark’s father noticed two tears trickling down his son's face. "Then he looked at me," Phillip Adams said. "It wasn't a sad look, but he knew, and I knew, we would never see each other on this earth again."

Adams, 24, of Morrisville, North Carolina, was killed Oct. 15, 2005 from a roadside bomb in Saqlawiyah. Friends and fellow Marines said he loved NASCAR, Van Halen’s music and liked to play softball. Adams joined the Marines in 1999 after graduating from high school, where he helped the wrestling team win the state championship.

"I was the battalion tattoo artist, and he was always hanging out in my room," said Anthony DeFelice. "Mark would never get a tattoo. He was too afraid of what his mom would say."

After two semesters at Wake Tech, Adams told his dad he wanted to re-enlist, and this time he wanted to go to Iraq. His father Philip who did not want his son to go said in his eulogy, "Mark, you could get killed,"

Michael C. Anderson humbly helped people throughout his life, from fixing a broken vacuum to guiding a troubled man away from a life of crime.

"I pray Mike is looking out of a small window in heaven and sees the outpouring of love and I hope someone tells him it's for him, because he won't believe it," his wife Karen Anderson wrote in a letter at his funeral.

Anderson was killed by hostile fire May 2, 2004 in Iraq's Anbar province. He graduated from high school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1986 and belonged to a Seabees reserve unit based in Jacksonville, Florida. Anderson had just celebrated his eighth wedding anniversary when he was killed.

Michael’s survivors include his wife, mother and his 7-year-old daughter, Brandi.

Carl L. Anderson Jr. was his official legal name but his family knew him as "Little Carl" and his military buddies called him "CJ" for Cool Jones. Anderson enjoyed music and sports, said his sister, Carletta. Loved ones remember him repairing a 1978 Chevrolet Impala he nicknamed "Sheila."

Anderson, 21, of Georgetown, South Carolina, died August 29, 2004 when his truck ran over a roadside bomb near Mosul. He was based at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Carl and his sister, two years apart in age, talked at least once a day while he was stationed stateside.

Anderson entered the Air Force after graduating from high school in 2001. Carl was an easygoing middle child who was voted most popular in his senior class.

"He was very friendly and outgoing and very well-liked," said the Rev. William Walker, Anderson's godfather. "Carl will be missed. It's like there was a link in a chain, and there will be no one else who can fill that spot."

Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal always lived an active lifestyle. In high school he was a volunteer firefighter and spoke of either making that his profession or becoming a police officer.

"He would come to almost all the (fire) calls that he could," said Michael Gabbianelli, a friend and fellow volunteer firefighter. "He was always there to help people."

Bruckenthal, 24, of Smithtown, New York died April 24, 2004 when suicide bombers in boats attacked pumping stations in the Persian Gulf. He was based at the Coast Guard Air Station in the Miami suburb of Opa-Locka, Florida. The Ridgefield, Connecticut native was the first member of the Coast Guard to die in battle since Vietnam.

Bruckenthal played football in high school and was involved with a club that helped new school students. Bruckenthal was a month away from finishing his second stint in Iraq and returning home to his wife, pregnant with their first child.

Joe Luis Baines, 19, died on Saturday December 16, 2006 in Taji, Iraq after an improvised explosive device detonated near the Humvee in which he was a crew member. Baines was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Calvary Division, home-based in Fort Hood, Texas. He had been in Iraq since October, according to Fort Hood public affairs.

"Joe was a wonderful son and a dedicated soldier who wanted to make the world a better place. Our entire family is proud of him and his service to our nation. We will always remember Joe as a loving son and a hero, and he will forever be missed by his family and by his many friends," his family said in a statement released by Fort Hood.

His interests included music and basketball. Born in Newark, Baines attended Summit Quest Academy in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and graduated in 2005. He enlisted in the Army in September 2005.

Baines is survived by his mother, Yolanda Torres; a sister, Carol Baines; brothers Adam and James Baines; his stepbrother, Stephone Durant, and stepsisters Stephanie and Lisa Durant.

Ashley Laine Henderson Huff was killed in action while proudly serving her country in the U.S. Army. Commissioned at the University of Georgia through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, Ashley joined the U.S. Army in May 2004 and was deployed to Iraq in December 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where she performed the duties of a platoon leader. Her only unit of assignment was the 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, Fort Stewart, Georgia.

The United States military awarded 1st Lt. Huff the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon. She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.

Ashley was born Dec. 19, 1982 and spent most of her childhood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana before moving with her family to Belle Mead, New Jersey where she completed both middle and high schools. She graduated from the University of Georgia in May 2004, where she was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority, and was an avid Georgia Bulldog football fan.

Among Ashley’s survivors are her husband, Brian Huff of Savannah, Georgia; parents, Mark and Janet Henderson of Buford, Georgia; brother, Andrew, of Buford and her sister, Abby, of Buford.

Sean Kelly fulfilled his childhood dreams early in life. In his high school yearbook, he wrote, "In the future, I plan on being a United States Marine."

Kelly, 23, of Gloucester, New Jersey, was among the 31 killed on January 26, 2005 when a helicopter crashed in bad weather in Iraq. He was stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Kelly played football and wrestled in high school and loved fast cars and motorcycles. He was remembered by teachers as kind, popular and focused. His father and two grandfathers were in the military, and he joined the Marines right out of high school, like his older brother. His parents said Sean intended to be a career Marine, and when he was home on leave he talked to students at his old elementary school, where his mother is a secretary, about life in the military.

"He always wanted to be a United States Marine. He died a Marine and was fulfilling his life choice," his mother Lynn said.

Soon before he was scheduled to come home from Iraq, Aaron Boyles asked his wife to hold the phone to her pregnant belly so he could send kisses to their unborn child.

"He was going to teach him how to play football. He was going to spoil him," said Boyles' wife, Prabha.

She said her husband wanted to name the baby Brendon. Aaron Boyle was killed on September 24, 2006 by hostile fire in Anbar province.

Boyles was born and raised in Oregon, and moved to the California Bay Area his senior year of high school to live with his mother. He was earlier awarded a Purple Heart but wouldn't tell his family what the medal was for because he didn't want to worry them.

The young widow said she knew what she was getting into as the wife of a Marine. Boyles had already enlisted when they met at a Wal-Mart where they both worked about two years ago. They got married in Reno, Nevada on the Fourth of July, 2003. Boyles, who was in boot camp, picked the patriotic date.

Surrounded by the historic significance of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline, is the Liberation Monument in Liberty View Park, Jersey City, New Jersey. Designed by sculptor Natan Rapaport, this inspirational statue depicts a World War II American Soldier carrying a survivor from the Auschwitz concentration camp. This image moves the soul to reflect on the values of compassion, commitment, character, courage and community.

Today, as in generations past, courageous Americans are making great sacrifices to serve our country and preserve our liberty. It is important for those who benefit from the valor of American service personnel to always remember and appreciate their dedication to our nation. The sacrifices of military personnel are intimately shared by their loved ones and especially their children. It is critical to be mindful of their challenges and support the American military and their families in every way possible.

The legacy of America urges a rebirth of patriotism that will transform us once again into a nation destined to be a hope for the world through its commitment to moral leadership, persevering vigilance and generous collaboration.

Vincent J. Bove, CPP is a Board Certified Protection Professional, Board Certified Crime Prevention Specialist, Certified Law Enforcement Instructor and U.S. Department of Justice Certified Community Anti-Terrorism Awareness Trainer.

He is the 2007 New Jersey recipient of the prestigious FBI Director's Community Leadership Award and was hand-selected to serve as a facilitator and mentor for the 2007 National Conference on Ethics in America and speaker for the 2008 conference at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

"Vincent J. Bove is considered one of the foremost national experts on school and workplace violence prevention, specializing in facility protection, evacuations, terrorism prevention and leadership training." -- U.S. Senate

You can visit Mr. Bove's website at www.vincentbove.com or email him at vincent@vincentbove.com

"... one of the foremost national experts on school and workplace violence, facility protection, evacuations, terrorism prevention and leadership training" US Senate
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