092309 Wicked Sand Storm and SPC Cote

092309 Wicked Sand Storm and SPC Cote

Unfortunately I see too many message of the sort below.
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JBB (Joint Base Balad),
     By order of the Installation Commander, Brigadier General Craig A.Franklin, the American Flag will be flown at half staff Wednesday 23 September 2009 in honor of SPC Michael S. Cote, Jr.   SPC Michael Cote, 20, of Fairbanks, AK., died 19 September 2009 at Joint Base Balad. He was deployed from Fort  Wainwright, AK. SPC Michael Cote is survived by his wife Ashlee and daughter Brooke.
     The memorial service for this fallen hero will be held Wednesday, 23 September 2009, 1630 at the JBB Sustainer Theater.  Please keep the family of SPC Michael Cote and Task Force 38 in your thoughts and prayers.
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On 19 September the night started off like any other night and I was having pizza at the new Italian restaurant here on a US Army base in Iraq run by the Bosnians.  A friend and I were outside and we could see lighting in the distance and then he noticed the 'clouds' coming at us.  I said "that's not a cloud" and as the wind picked up we decided to get inside.  On the short walk to get inside the sand storm was on us and we couldn't see even to the other side of the road (maybe 20').  We got inside and just as quickly as it on was on us the storm had passed (maybe 15 minutes total.)  Going outside we now heard sirens and thought maybe a car or two had been in an accident.

 

What really had happened was that two helos were inbound with PAX (passengers) and one helo turned around after deciding that the weather was too much.  The other helo continued on and crashed attempting to land.  SPC Cote died and 12 others were wounded. Today was the memorial for SPC Cote.  I've attended a few of these in the past and decided to go to this one. 

There were about 300 soldiers there and I saw 4 civilians there as well (me being one of them.)  The event is very solemn and  executed without rehearsal due to familiarity that comes being in this environment.  There was also some pics of SPC Cote and mpeg files set to some Rolling Stones music that played on a big screen as soldiers marched past rendering a final salute.  Finally there was a 'roll call' of his platoon where the sergeant barks out names with SPC Cote's name being called last.  The sergeant calls for SPC Cote three times but there is nothing but silence.  He's gone.  Finally there is a rifle salute.

 

If a civilian had died there'd be no ceremony.  We're here for the Army (not the other way around).  It is what it is.
R/Chris