Five more names added to Victory Park at Fort Riley

I am thankful for today, for the ability to hurt and heal.

This morning among many things I am getting ready to travel to Fort Riley to meet with families, command and soldiers to show support for the fallen and be the face of a survivor to give hope to others.. 

I remember a little bit of my life after Jamie passed away on March 21, 2012.. what I remember the most is all I wanted was Jamie to wake up and come home to the girls and I.  It was a haze of events for the first six months after Jamie passed, I did everything I could do to stay busy and never have a moment of free time to realize the true reality of my life.  I started volunteering, speaking and running away from waking up from the traumatic events I had endured the last year of Jamie's life.  

Each person grieves in a different way, each person loves in a different way, each person lives in a different way and I was no different from thousands of other military families who had suffered a loss.  All each of us ever want is to hold a sign that says welcome home to our Military Hero and see them smile one last time, but to so many we are denied that opportunity. 

Five Fort Riley soldiers killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/12/19/3187709/moran-5-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan.html#storylink=cpy

Five of the six soldiers killed in Monday’s helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan were from Fort Riley, authorities said Thursday.

All five soldiers were assigned to the 1st Infantry Division’s 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Riley said in a news release. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

One person aboard the Black Hawk UH-60 was injured and survived the crash in Now Bahar, Afghanistan.

Officials originally said the helicopter had experienced engine failure before the crash, but they later said it was unclear whether that was the case.

According to initial reports, the troops had mechanical problems and came under fire after the crash. It was unclear whether any of the casualties were the result of enemy fire.

The five Fort Riley soldiers have been identified as Chief Warrant Officer Randy L. Billings, 34, of Heavener, Okla.; Chief Warrant Officer Joshua B. Silverman, 35, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Sgt. 1st Class Omar W. Forde, 28, of Marietta Ga.; Sgt. Peter C. Bohler, 29, of Willow Spring, N.C.; Spc. Terry K.D. Gordon, 22, of Shubuta, Miss.

Also killed was Staff Sgt. Jesse Williams of Elkhart, Ind., who was with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of these Big Red One soldiers,” Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, 1st Division and Fort Riley commanding general, said. “We stand ready to support them, and I urge our community and nation, while remembering their sacrifices this holiday season, to do the same.”

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said in a statement, “As we pay tribute to their service and sacrifice, we are reminded that freedom is not free.”


Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/12/19/3187709/moran-5-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan.html#storylink=cpy

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