Fallen comrades recalled during Memorial Day service
FORT GIBSON — Three comrades were on retired Army sergeant Tim Smith's heart Memorial Day — Sgt. Gauthreaux, First Sgt. McGinnis and Lt. West.
Smith spoke about those three Monday at Fort Gibson National Cemetery's Memorial Day service.
'Gauthreaux came into my section arrogant, cocky. ... I helped him get back on track,' Smith said. 'A bracket broke off a door, an explosion went through his advanced combat helmet. It took them five minutes to figure out where he was injured.
'McGinnis took a medical waiver to go to Iraq. The doctor said he couldn't go, and he fought to get a waiver. ... The first day we had transfer of authority, an IED went off and he was gone.'
'Lt. Kyle West ... never left the POD but one time. We teased him, joked around, he never left. His job was to stay at his base and take in the logistics. We had an aircraft go down, we had to salvage the equipment and he paid the ultimate price that day.'
Smith said 17 from his squadron and 28 from his base never came home from combat.
'Don't let those names be forgotten, tell the stories,' he said.
Smith talked about the 650 flags that line parts of U.S. 62 and Willey Road leading to the cemetery.
'Here's the reason why we want to do that here,' Smith said. 'I can't be where First Sgt. McGinnis is laid to rest. I can't be where Sgt. Gauthreaux is laid to rest in Louisiana. I can't be where Lt. Kyle West is. I can be here, though, making sure years and years from now that when you drive out here you say 'man, they respect our veterans.''
Smith, former post commander at Frank Gladd American Legion Post 20, said a post honor guard does 20 military funerals per month.
'The record is 12 in one week and four in one day,' he said. 'I want you to think about our veterans, think about those who paid the price.'
In an invocation, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Chaplain Forrest Kirk asked that people 'never forget the cost of freedom.'
'War reveals that reality,' Kirk said, recalling those who gave their lives 'so that we can have the nation we have, so that we can have the freedom that we have.'
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