rabbit
12-13-03, 01:28 AM
http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=2892
Lima native dies in Iraq
° From staff reports °
12.12.2003
An Ohio National Guard soldier from Elida died on duty in Iraq when he fell into the Tigris River while on patrol.
Staff Sgt. Aaron T. Reese, 31, now of Reynoldsburg, died Tuesday when he fell from a patrol boat. Another soldier, Specialist Todd Bates of Bellaire, dove in after him and never resurfaced, and is now listed as “whereabouts unknown,” the Ohio National Guard and the U.S. Department of Defense reported.
Reese, a 1990 Elida High School graduate and father of two, was a squad leader assigned to the 135th Military Police Company based in Brook Park, the Guard said.
“Aaron was a loving husband, son, father and brother. He loved doing his job and serving his country,” said his sister, April Engstrom, in a statement released by the Ohio National Guard. “He felt that it was his duty to serve and he loved the soldiers in his squad.”
Reese is the first Ohio National Guard soldier to die in the line of duty during the war on terrorism, the Guard said.
I was a 1992 Elida grad and knew who Reese was. He played football and starred on the two-time league champion track team. My sister, a 1990 grad, was a friend of his in school.
I guess I'm kind of an idealist when it comes to things like freedom and liberty. My family is the most important thing to me in the world. But where would my family be if men before me had not left their families to go fight that other families might be free? Now that that I have my own family and I see what there is to lose in life, it makes me appreciate their sacrifice so much more.
I don't want this to turn into a war debate, and I don't think it will. I'm just trying to sort out the 1,000s of thoughts that are racing through my head.
Lima native dies in Iraq
° From staff reports °
12.12.2003
An Ohio National Guard soldier from Elida died on duty in Iraq when he fell into the Tigris River while on patrol.
Staff Sgt. Aaron T. Reese, 31, now of Reynoldsburg, died Tuesday when he fell from a patrol boat. Another soldier, Specialist Todd Bates of Bellaire, dove in after him and never resurfaced, and is now listed as “whereabouts unknown,” the Ohio National Guard and the U.S. Department of Defense reported.
Reese, a 1990 Elida High School graduate and father of two, was a squad leader assigned to the 135th Military Police Company based in Brook Park, the Guard said.
“Aaron was a loving husband, son, father and brother. He loved doing his job and serving his country,” said his sister, April Engstrom, in a statement released by the Ohio National Guard. “He felt that it was his duty to serve and he loved the soldiers in his squad.”
Reese is the first Ohio National Guard soldier to die in the line of duty during the war on terrorism, the Guard said.
I was a 1992 Elida grad and knew who Reese was. He played football and starred on the two-time league champion track team. My sister, a 1990 grad, was a friend of his in school.
I guess I'm kind of an idealist when it comes to things like freedom and liberty. My family is the most important thing to me in the world. But where would my family be if men before me had not left their families to go fight that other families might be free? Now that that I have my own family and I see what there is to lose in life, it makes me appreciate their sacrifice so much more.
I don't want this to turn into a war debate, and I don't think it will. I'm just trying to sort out the 1,000s of thoughts that are racing through my head.