FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - Following a memorial ceremony held at the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division monument located at Fort Wainwright's Monterey Lake Memorial Park May 27, a Soldier renders a salute in honor of those Soldier...

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - "We pay tribute to those brave men who served with honor and courage and who gave their lives in the defense of our nation," said Col. Robert Werthman, commander of 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (formerly Task Force 49) during the ceremony dedicating the unit's memorial at Monterey Lakes Memorial Park.

Eight Soldiers were lost during Task Force 49's deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the first unit leaving Alaska in the summer of 2007 and the last unit returning in February 2010. "This brigade's great strides and accomplishments will be sowed in the annals of military history but our success exacted a cost from the nation's most precious resource, our sons and daughters," Werthman said.

Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Johnson, Chief Warrant Officer Jackie McFarlane, Staff Sgt. Sean Fisher, Staff Sgt. Stanley Reynolds and Spc. Steven Jewell were killed when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the vicinity of Al Taqaddum Air Base in August 2007. The Soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Task Force 49.

Chief Warrant Officer Donald V. Clark and Chief Warrant Officer Christian P. Humphreys died from injuries received when their OH 58 Kiowa helicopter crashed near Mosul, Iraq, in November 2008. Both soldiers were assigned to 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 49.

Sgt. Michael Cote died from of wounds received when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter he was on crashed in Balad, Iraq, in September 2009. Cote was assigned to 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Task Force 49.

Soldiers from the 16th CAB, along with other Fort Wainwright Soldiers, joined distinguished guests such as US Army Alaska Commanding General Maj. Gen. William J. Troy and friends and family of the fallen at the dedication.

Fourteen members of Gold Star families made the trip for the ceremony. During his remarks Werthman addressed the children of the fallen who were present. "William, Victoria, Jonathan and Dylan, know that your dad was a good man, who strove to be the best in his field and died doing what he believed in. He is proud of you and from his new home in heaven, he is watching with a loving gaze, longing for you to move on with your life, to reach for loftier goals and to help make America even better."

"There is not much we can offer each other, except perhaps in the midst of our grief, a fierce pride that goes with service to our country. The military notion of personal courage and selfless service in war and peace is the bedrock underlying all military service which often exacts a fearful price," Werthman said.

Following Werthman's remarks the memorial was uncovered by him and Command Sgt. Major Richard Mitchell, brigade command sergeant major. The center piece is a large granite stone showing the Task Force 49 insignia on one side and the names of the fallen on the other. There are also individual marble markers for each of the eight Soldiers. The names of the Soldiers were read and a single chime from a bell sounded as each individual marker was unveiled.

Abraham Lincoln once said "A nation that does not honor its heroes, will not long endure." The memorials at Monterey Lakes Memorial Park are a tribute to the fallen heroes of Fort Wainwright and open to the public so that they may pay their respects.