Deputy Commanding General for Operations, and Lieutenant Colonel Marion Jefferson, Deputy Corps Chief of the Medical Service Corps, render honors to the fallen Medical Service Corps o... VIEW ORIGINAL
September 11th is a date that has a deep and profound meaning to many members of our Armed Forces, as it is seen as the beginning of over a decade of conflict that has taken the lives of thousands of American heroes that have fought and died defending our nation. On this solemn Sunday, September 11th morning, officers, noncommissioned officers, civilians, and friends gathered at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery for the annual Medical Service Corps 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to honor the six Medical Service Corps (MSC) Officers that have fallen since the attacks on 9/11.
Assembly Pavilion fell silent as the ceremony host and 18th Medical Service Chief, Major General Patrick D. Sargent, gave an extremely heart-felt speech about how his life was impacted following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He vividly described the thoughts and emotions that consumed him as he sat as a young Medical Service Corps Major working as a congressional liaison on Capitol Hill; not realizing then that he would become the 18th Chief of the Medical Service Corps. MG Sargent briefly detailed his actions following the attacks. First, he tried reaching his wife who at the time was serving in the Pentagon with LTC Karen Wagner. Second, he headed over to the Pentagon only to witness the incredible devastation first hand. His wife survived the attack, but as we all know LTC Karen Wagner became the first MSC Officer to perish in the attacks. MG Sargent went on to explain how the attempts of the attacks were meant to destroy the foundation of a great nation, but had failed. His hopeful message stirred the crowd as he described the patriotism displayed by all of the young men and women who filled the recruiting stations ready to defend the nation. His address culminated with a fitting moment of silence to honor the fallen from all wars in American history as he quoted former President Calvin Coolidge in stating, "A nation that forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten."
After MG Sargent's touching words, the names and stories of each of the fallen MSC Officers were read as MG Sargent and LTC(P) Marion Jefferson, MSC Deputy Corps Chief, laid a wreath in honor of their comrades. As they raised a slow salute in remembrance, taps echoed over the hallowed grounds of the cemetery to pay tribute to those that gave their last full measure of devotion.
The fallen heroes honored in the ceremony were:
Lieutenant Colonel Karen Wagner, Office of the Army Surgeon General and Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Pentagon, killed September 11, 2001.
Captain John R. Teal, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, killed October 23, 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Major Charles Soltes Jr., 426th Civil Affairs Battalion based out of Upland, California, killed on October 13, 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Second Lieutenant Emily Perez, C Company, 204th Support Battalion, 2nd BCT, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, killed on September 12, 2006 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
First Lieutenant Ashley Irene White-Stumpf, 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, killed while serving in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on October 22, 2011.
Lieutenant Colonel David E. Cabrera, 3/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, killed October 29, 2011 in Kabul, Afghanistan.
For more information please visit the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps website.
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