This is not a new story this my way of saying thank you to my brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice. Please forgive me for run on sentences and bad grammar and punctuation.

I like most people when I was young I didn’t know what meant to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to give my life for another. That is till when I was 19 years old in 1995 I decided to join the United States Army. I didn’t join alone though my two best friends who were like brothers to me joined with me, we were blood brothers being the fact that they were Sioux Indians. We decided when we were 11 to become blood brothers a bond that death couldn’t severe. Anyway in August 1995 we joined the Army each getting sent to different places for training. After several years in the Army we decided to take a chance and become Rangers. Much to our surprise all three of us made it and were assigned to the same unit. We would serve together in this unit our family with our other brothers our team till the end.

In March of 2001 we were thinking about leaving the Army, however a event would change our lives. September 11^th 2001 happened and it would change everyone’s lives. We were first sent to Iraq and we were there for 2 years just before we were to rotate home our unit lost our first member to a I.E.D. We were allowed home to follow our brother. In 2003 five months after returning home we were sent to Afghanistan and in this country I would learn the meaning of loving your brothers more than yourself you would die for them. On Christmas Eve 2004 we went to a village in a area of heavy insurgency and we were to evacuate the civilians. That night all hell would break loose and in the end my life would never be the same. You see in the first wave attack that night I was hit several times and so were many of my friends and fellow soldiers. Our lieutenant called in for evac and air support; even though I was wounded I was able to keep fighting. I wouldn’t see the end of the fight because shortly after 1:33 am my position would be hit by RPGs there was seven of us in that area when the first RPG hit I don’t remember what happened afterwards. I was told what happened a year later you see I was in a coma from my wounds and didn’t wake up till the following Christmas. I was told that my brothers fight like demons to get to us and get the medics to there to do what they could. Just before the choppers could land I was told that a third RPG exploded right in front of my blood brothers killing “Gizz” first and his twin”Gonzo” die a few days later from his injuries. You see they had received permission to serve in the same unit because they had 8 more brothers back home. We called “Gizz” that name because he was a tech wizard with anything that could go boom. “Gonzo” got his nickname from his last name Gonzalez. I would find out that of the 25 members of my team 31 civilians had been killed. The last two were my best friends and my brothers they died trying to save those of us who couldn’t fight because we were hurt badly. So if you want to know what the Ultimate Sacrifice is? I will tell you it is giving your life for your fellow brother or sister in arms or protecting those unable to fight.

In closing here is how I feel about my brothers “Gizz” and “Gonzo” and my other brothers that died that night and to the hundreds that have made the Ultimate Sacrifice also. God bless each and every one of them, may God keep smiling and happy till we are reunited. To my team I miss all you. To “Gizz” and “Gonzo” till we see each other again my brothers know I love you and thank you for being willing to pay the Ultimate Sacrifice