Members and friends of the Medical Service Corps gathered at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Sept. 11 to attend a wreath ceremony to remember and honor six Medical Service Corps officers who made the ultimate sacrifice defending this nation.
Since the terrorist attack of September 11, the Medical Service Corps have lost six officers in action. The first of the casualties was on the morning of September 11th at the Pentagon, the last was ten was years and 18 days later in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Hosted by the Office of the Chief, Medical Service Corps, the 9-11 MSC Remembrance Ceremony included keynote speaker, Col. Scott Drennon, Chief, Leader Training Development, US Army Medical Department Center and School, invocation delivered by Chaplain (Maj.) Scott Nichols and the sounds of TAPs by Sgt. 1st Class Luke Jefferson, a member of the 323rd Army Band, Ft. Sam's Own.
Drennon said, "Our purpose is to pause, reflect, honor and remember those who have sacrificed in defense of freedom over the last 13 years. It's hard to believe sometimes, but it's been 13 years since that ill-fated day. September 11th, 2001 changed our lives forever. The coordinated terrorist suicide attacks on that Tuesday morning upon our Nation in New York City and Washington DC started when 19 Islamic terrorist from Al-Qaeda hijacked 4 passenger jets loaded with innocent civilians and flew two of them into the World Trade Center Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon and the fourth crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pa. In all 3,000 lost their life that day."
Drennon said, "As we are all aware, the sacrifice's resulting from 9-11 have been profound and extend well beyond the initial 3,000 casualties. In the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we've lost 6,700 killed in action and 51,000 wounded-in-action. The Army Medical Department casualties are 205; 24 AMEDD officers and 181 medical enlisted Soldiers."
Among those 24 AMEDD officers are six Medical Service Corps officers. Lt. Col. Karen Wagner was the first AMEDD casualty of the Global War on Terror. Wagner was one of 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and flown into the south west wall of the Pentagon. Capt. John R. Teal was a Medical Plans and Operations officer serving with 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. He became the 32nd casualty in Iraq on Oct. 23, 2003 when an improvised explosive device hit his convoy in Baqubah, Iraq. Maj. Charles R. Soltes was serving with the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion out of Upland, California, when on Oct. 13, 2004 he was killed by a vehicle-borne explosive device detonated in his convoy near Mosul, Iraq. The Major Charles R. Soltes Jr., O.D. Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Center in Long Beach California was named in his honor by the 111th Congress H.R. 4360. 2nd Lt. Emily J.T. Perez was a Graduate of the United States Army Military Academy at West Point where she served as the Cadet Command Sergeant Major. She was killed on Sept. 12, 2006 by an Improvised Explosive Device during operations in Kifl, Iraq. 1st Lt. Ashley White Stumpf was assigned to the 230th Brigade Support Battalion, N. Carolina National Guard, but volunteered as a Cultural Support Team member and deployed to Afghanistan with a Joint Special Operations Task Force in 2011. She was killed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on Oct. 22, 2011. Lt. Col. David E. Cabrera was killed Oct. 29, 2011 in Kabul, Afghanistan when his vehicle was attacked by insurgents. Cabrera was a licensed Clinical Social Worker and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Drennon said, "As we look out over the hallowed ground that surrounds us this morning, over the sea of marble and granite head stones that are the symbol of our fallen heroes and their ultimate sacrifice, I leave you with a short metaphorical quote by Scottish Poet Thomas Campbell in 1836; Campbell stated "The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree."
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