This year, for the first time since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, no new names were added to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) memorial wall.
The annual Gold Star commemoration ceremony Thursday morning at USASOC headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was notable, according to the report, adding a new name to the memorial plaza wall for the first time since the start of the global war on terrorism. It is said that there was not. From the online defense news publication Task & Purpose.
The walls bear the names of 1,242 USASOC soldiers who have died in action since the headquarters was established, 377 of whom have been added since 2001. However, it was a moment of relief for the dead, as no one from the command post had died since their names were last added. I’ve had phone calls from people who have lost loved ones.
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U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Commander Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga salutes the fallen USASOC soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 25, 2023. (U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Relations Office)
“We have done well in certain areas of our work, lives have been saved, lives have been saved, and at 4:37 p.m. ‘Hey, how did this happen?’ Two men in dress blue uniforms were on my front porch,” said Wendal Pelham, the gold star’s father, who attended the ceremony. said, the Task and Purpose newspaper reported.
“As you can imagine, that call literally changed our lives forever, and last year it was truly heaven-sent to learn that no one’s family received the call.”
Pelham lost his son Spc. John Pelham, 2014, just 22 years old. Pelham, who served in the 2nd Battalion Headquarters Company, 3rd Special Forces Group, died in Afghanistan from small arms fire wounds.
Elder Pelham recalled promises made to his family that he would never forget his son’s sacrifice, and said USASOC is still keeping those promises nearly a decade later.
Marines pay tribute to servicemen on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. (Reuters)
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“It’s been nine years and the special operations community has never let me down,” Pelham said. “They have always been loyal to us and true to their word they will always remember.”
The ceremony took place a few days before Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is usually a holiday that includes beach trips and family barbecues across the United States. Pelham believes Americans should enjoy their weekends, but urged them to take the time to reflect on why the holiday exists.
American Flag Raised at Vietnam Veterans Memorial on National POW/MIA Recognition Day in Washington DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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“The day of remembrance is for those who gave their all, who made their last and last sacrifices for this country,” Pelham said. “Americans need to know that there are people in this country willing to do that.”
