Memorial Day is the federal holiday to honor and mourn those who died in service to our country. We were on the Milwaukee County War Memorial that day, and the fog coming off of Lake Michigan enveloped us, so all we could see was the memorial and the Gold Star families. It was my privilege to join their families as we dedicated a very special monument to the seven heroes from Fox Company who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The Marines of the Fox Company were hit particularly hard by casualties. During my time as Milwaukee County Executive and then as Governor of Wisconsin, I was honored to meet so many remarkable people who had lost a loved one. Gold Star families are a special group of Americans. Three years later, she retired as the school superintendent - after more than three decades in education. She first invited me to speak at the program in 2015. He never got that opportunity.ĭuring the Veteran’s Day program at Christian Life School, I was honored to get a hug from Corporal Nelson’s mother Susan Nelson. He planned to go to college and become an elementary school teacher when he returned from Iraq. Corporal Nelson and his wife Kristen were looking forward to starting a family of their own. He was one of seven children born to a Vietnam veteran and a school administrator. It was Corporal Nelson’s second tour in Iraq, and he had just gotten married before he was deployed to the region. Five members of the same unit had been killed during deployment in 2004-2005.
Their deaths were the first of Fox Company’s second tour in Iraq.
Both Marines were part of Fox Company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An improvised roadside bomb killed him and Lance Corporal Dean Opicka in Iraq’s Anbar province on April 14, 2008. One of them was Marine Corporal Richard J. While we honor all veterans this week, we especially want to remember those who died to ensure our freedoms. “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free His truth is marching on.” I can still remember playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. And he put together fantastic concerts with patriotic music at our church year. Condon organized us Scouts to put flags on the graves of the veterans each year at our local cemetery. Talking with those two veterans brought back some special memories.
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