Fallen Virginia Guard combat engineers remembered at Fort Leonard Wood memorial ceremony - April 7, 2011
The names of five Virginia Army National Guard combat engineers lost during combat operations in Global War on Terror were among the more than 330 names etched on the Memorial Wall for Fallen Engineers unveiled April 7 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
The unveiling took place after the Fallen Sapper Tribute Fort Leonard Wood Memorial Chapel, a ceremony designed to pay humble and respectful homage to the 33 engineer Soldiers who died in combat from April 2010 to April 2011. Directly outside the chapel in the Engineer Memorial Grove, the wall made of Missouri red granite engraved with the names of engineers who made the ultimate sacrifice was unveiled in front of family members and fellow engineers from across the country. After the unveiling, family members and fellow engineers were invited to trace the names on the wall.
“This is a fitting tribute to these fine young men, and it is important that we remember their sacrifice,” said Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia. “Every day, all over the world, men and women in uniform put themselves in harms way to defend the ideals of freedom that are so important to all of us, and we must never forget how dangerous that can be. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these Soldiers.”
The following Virginia Army National Guard combat engineers have been lost in combat action in Iraq:
Sgt. Nicholas C. Mason, 20, of King George, Va., and Sgt. David A. Ruhren, 20, of Stafford, Va., died of wounds Dec. 21, 2004 in Mosul, Iraq, after their dining facility was attacked. Both were assigned to the West Point-based Company C, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command.
Sgt. David E. Lambert, 39, of Cedar Bluff, Va., died of wounds Oct. 26, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq, after the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device. Sgt. Derek R. Banks, 24, of Newport News, Va., was also in the vehicle and died of wounds Nov. 14, 2007 in San Antonio, Texas. Both were assigned to the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command.
Staff Sgt. Jeremiah E. McNeal, 23, of Norfolk, Va., died of wounds April 6, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq, after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the West Point-based 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command.
The Virginia National Guard has lost 10 Soldiers in combat actions in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.
