ONE OF OUR OWN

2LT Leonard Cowherd was a Platoon Leader in C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment based in Friedberg.

By no means is this the first MilBlog to feature what follows. And it isn't particularly timely on my part. But it is about one of our own and I wish to add it to the record. I also hope that readers who have not read this previously will take the opportunity to do so.

You will need ten minutes, a quiet space, and a box of kleenex. Please don't even start to read this if you don't have all of those.

2LT Cowhert's father-in-law updates their circle of concerned via email after learning of the Lieutenant's death by firefight in Karbala. An extract:

Is there anything you can do? Sarah, Charles and I have discussed this. We need nothing. We appreciate everything. However, if you want to 'do'something we have two requests. First - somewhere in your 6-degree circle of friends and family find a deployed soldier, sailor, airman, or marine. Talk to them. Send them an e-mail, a letter, or package. Tell them you're there. Tell them you care. It doesn't have to be Iraq or Afghanistan. We have folks around the world that are doing our business. Just reach out to one of them. One of Leonard's biggest concerns was the soldiers in his platoon who received no mail or support from folks outside the company. Our warriors shouldn't have this problem.

Second - stand a little stiller, stand a little straighter the next time you hear the National Anthem. There are generations of warriors that have made that possible.

What happened? Leonard caught a sniper's round in the chest. He did not suffer. As far as we know at this time, his platoon and company had been engaged in relatively heavy combat all day long in Karbala. Leonard died at around 1720 Iraq time on Sunday. We do not know if he was off his tank or if it happened while he was mounted. During the same period two other soldiers were wounded although they do not appear to have been with Leonard's platoon. Again, as far as we've been able to determine, the unit returned fire and carried the field. Some reports indicate they killed the sniper.

Read the entire series of notes here.

(My sincere thanks to Bobby Sr., father of two deployed soldiers. May God bless you and yours, Bobby, and grant them safe return.)