06 April 2016

12 years - 12 men of 2/4 Marines Remembered

12 years ago today, 12 men of 2/4 Marines were killed in an ambush on Rt Gypsum in Ramadi, Iraq. On 6 Mar 2008, I had the honor of escorting Gold Star dad John Wroblewski to the spot where his son, 2nd Lt. J.T. "Ski" Wroblewski was mortally wounded while on the radio calling for reinforcements. The names of the Fallen warriors as read by John Wroblewski during that memorial service are as follows: "LCpl Benjamin Carman, LCpl Marcus Cherry, PFC Christopher Cobb, LCpl Kyle Crowley, PFC Deryk Hallal, PFC Ryan Jerabek, PFC Moises Langhorst, LCpl Travis Layfield, HM3 Fernandez Mendez-Aceves, LCpl Anthony Roberts, SSgt Allan Walker, and my hero, 2Lt John Thomas Wroblewski."
I want to thank USMC General John Kelly and PSD Co Marines for escorting us to Rt Gypsum for the memorial service, and my Marine PAO MSgt Willie Ellerbrock and his team, including Amy Forsythe and 2/8 Marines, for making my embed assignment a success. The names and faces of these men will be forever in my mind. I continue to pray for the families, friends, and Marine brothers of these Fallen Warriors.