and Command Sgt. Maj. Lamont Christian, Fort Jackson's senior enlisted leader, kneel before the battle crosses of Pvt. Timothy Ashcraft and Pvt. Ethan Shrader to honor the Soldi... VIEW ORIGINAL
When Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment conducted a roll call Tuesday, they were missing two Soldiers -- Pvt. Timothy Ashcraft and Pvt. Ethan Shrader.
Fort Jackson honored the two Soldiers killed in an incident Oct. 6 during the memorial service at the Main Post Chapel. Ashcraft and Shrader were killed in an incident between a non-tactical vehicle and a troop formation that injured six others, two critically. The cause of that incident is currently under investigation.
Staccato rifle reports of a ceremonial volley and the humble playing of Taps followed the roll call before attendees filed before their battle crosses to pay their final respects to the Soldiers who, "impacted the lives of fellow trainees."
Their company's commanding officer, Capt Joaquin Jucaban, said he will always remember the two because they "left a mark so deep in our hearts we will always cherish their memory."
In heartfelt speeches, their battle buddies remembered how Ashcraft and Shrader enriched their lives.
Ashcraft would "push himself to his physical limits" at the confidence course "so he could go even further," said Pvt. Jarret Honner, who came to Basic Combat Training from Cincinnati with him. "At the gas chamber he went in without hesitation. He had the intense desire only a Soldier could have."
"I'm sorry we can't go back home together," Honner said.
Shrader's battle buddy, Pvt. Darren Sikes, remembered him as an "honorable man" he was thankful to "spend the last five weeks" with.
Shrader was a caring man who read his Bible every night and helped ensure his platoon were OK, he said.
"Every night he would ask how my day was and what I did that day," Sikes said about his close friend, who helped him make his bed every morning. "He never talked about himself … but he invested so much time making sure his battle buddies were all right."
Shrader was a "very hard worker and he never gave up," he added. "Seeing him work as hard as he did pushed me to do the same every day."
The Soldier's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Jason Pieri, said if the two were "here they'd tell us it is OK to be scared and nervous, but would tell us we are American Soldiers and must go forward."
Ashcraft, who joined the Army in September with the 92S (Shower / Laundry and Clothing Specialty) military occupation specialty, is survived by his father Anthony and his mother Amanda Kassen.
Shrader, a native of Prospect, Tennessee, enlisted in September to be a 12N (Horizontal Construction Engineer). He is survived by his father Steven, mother Tammy, his brother Dale and sister Sky.
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