A year ago, we lost one of our best shipmates -
And we are still trying to understand why but the Good Lord must have needed him in Heaven
Here's my post from a year ago -
Thanks again Cap for all you contributed to our lives and our country. You are missed.
NEPTUNUS LEX - Captain
Carroll LeFon, US Navy Retired - He belongs to the ages - (1960-2012)
The world lost more than one hero
yesterday.
Captain Carroll LeFon, US Navy retired died in a plane
accident flying a Israeli Kfir for a military contractor when his jet crashed
outside Fallon Air Base in Nevada.
He was known to many in the Navy but
many others from his well read blog, Neptunus Lex.
http://www.neptunuslex.com/
He is the main reason I started
writing here at US Navy Jeep. He inspired me to want to be more
like him and to share the leadership lessons we had experienced in our military
careers and life.
As I had written in an earlier
posting, "It can all change in an instant..."; None of us are guaranteed
anything. Capt LeFon was doing exactly what he loved, flying. He had a difficult
day with his plane the day before when his drag chute failed to deploy....He
wrote about it in his normal enlightened prose and made light of it. The next
day, he was gone.
Our world is a little less bright and enlightened by
his loss. He made us think, lead by example and shared the virtues of a cold
glass of Guinness. We will not see his like on this earth again.
It is
somewhat prophetic that I was watching " The Search for Spock " last night,
which deals with the bond between Kirk and Spock and how Captain Kirk finds a
way to overcome the death of his friend...In real life, we do not have such
ability.
I share in the loss of our Shipmate, Captain Carroll LeFon,
Neptunus Lex. All our prayers and sympathies to his wife and children.
In
tribute to our beloved shipmate, I would share the words of Pericles who
delivered a funeral oration that paid tribute to his men.
" I would have you day by day fix your eyes
upon the greatness of Athens, until you become filled with the love of her; and
when you are impressed by the spectacle of her glory, reflect that this empire
has been acquired by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it, who
in the hour of conflict had the fear of dishonor always present to them, and
who, if ever they failed in an enterprise, would not allow their virtues to be
lost to their country, but freely gave their lives to her as the fairest
offering which they could present at her feast.
The sacrifice which they
collectively made was individually repaid to them; for they received again each
one for himself a praise which grows not old, and the noblest of all tombs, I
speak not of that in which their remains are laid, but of that in which their
glory survives, and is proclaimed always and on every fitting occasion both in
word and deed. For the whole earth is the tomb of famous men; not only are they
commemorated by columns and inscriptions in their own country, but in foreign
lands there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but
in the hearts of men."Pericles - In tribute to his soldiers
after first battles of the Peloponnesian war
Rest Easy CAP, we have the watch. Fair Winds and
Following Seas.
Some I know have asked me, " Why are we in Afghanistan ?" " Why would anyone go there ?" " What good could possibly come from being there?"
Here is the answer...a dedicated RI National Guardsman who in a split second, made the right choice and placed his own life in danger to save an Afghan Girl. He knew his duty and did it without a moment's hesitation.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Sgt. Weichel was there when he was needed and did what he was trained to do....He saved the life of a little girl even though he likely knew it would cost him his own life.
Rest easy Sgt. Weichel. You have the respect and admiration of your nation and all who serve or have served in uniform.
Rest easy shipmate, we have the watch.
Please share his story as it would be my hope that more learn of this splendid patriot and his sacrifice.
'Hero' U.S. Soldier Gives Life to Save Afghan Girl
By Luis Martinez - ABC News – 4 hrs ago....
It is a compelling war-zone story of heroism of a U.S. soldier who gave his own life to save an Afghan girl from certain injury.
Sgt. Dennis Weichel, 29, died in Afghanistan last week as he lifted an Afghan girl who was in the path of a large military vehicle barreling down a road.
Weichel, a Rhode Island National Guardsman, was riding along in a convoy in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan when some children were spotted on the road ahead.
The children were picking up shell casings lying on the road. The casings are recycled for money in Afghanistan. Weichel and other soldiers in the convoy got out of their vehicles to get them out of the way of the heavy trucks in the convoy.
The children were moved out of the way, but an Afghan girl darted back onto the road to pick up some more casings that lay underneath a passing MRAP, or Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle. The huge armored trucks can weigh as much as 16 tons and are designed to protect the troops they carry from roadside bombs.
Weichel spotted the girl and quickly moved toward her to get her out of the way. He succeeded, but not before he was run over by the heavily armored truck. The girl was safe, but Weichel later died of his injuries. He had arrived in Afghanistan a few weeks ago and had been a member of the Rhode Island National Guard since 2001
Lt. Col. Denis Riel a spokesman for the Rhode Island National Guard, said Weichel embodied values that can't be taught. "I have heard nothing but incredible stuff about this kid, selfless beyond our core values that we live up to," Riel said. "As I hear more from family and others, he was the living embodiment of the Army's core values: courageous, selfless and loyal. All values we expect from our soldiers. We mourn all combat deaths, but this one is a significant loss."
An Army article quotes two former colleagues praising Weichel's character.
Staff Sgt. Ronald Corbett, who deployed with Weichel to Iraq in 2005, said, "He would have done it for anybody," adding, "That was the way he was. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He was that type of guy."
First Sgt. Nicky Peppe also served with Weichel in Iraq. "He was a big kid at heart," Peppe said. "He always had a smile on his face and he made everyone laugh. But as much as Weichel was funny, he was also a professional. When it was time to go outside the wire for a combat patrol, he was all business."
Since his death, the father of three has been posthumously promoted to sergeant and received the Bronze Star for his heroism.
His remains will arrive in Rhode Island Saturday, and a wake will be held in Providence Sunday. He'll be buried Monday. He is survived by his children, his fiancée and his parents. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff until Weichel's burial.
We lost a hero today and our country is a better place due to his service.
He lived a hero's life and he died trying to save his little girls. Rest easy Green Beret. You will not be forgotten and those little girls must have needed you in Heaven.
Prayers for this family are respectfully requested.
Mar 6, 3:04 PM EST
Special Forces soldier dies trying to save NC kids
By MICHAEL BIESECKER and EMERY P. DALESIO
Associated Press
HOPE MILLS, N.C. (AP) -- A decorated Green Beret who returned from his fifth deployment to Afghanistan last summer died Tuesday trying to rescue his two young daughters from their burning home near Fort Bragg. The girls were also killed in the blaze.
Edward Cantrell and his wife escaped from the 1 a.m. blaze by jumping from the home's second floor, the Cumberland County sheriff's office said. Cantrell then wrapped himself in a blanket and re-entered the burning home in Hope Mills, about 10 miles from the Army base that is home to the Green Berets and other Special Forces units, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Tanna said.
Cantrell, 36, was trying to reach 6-year-old Isabella and 4-year-old Natalia, who were trapped in second-floor bedrooms, Tanna said.
"He never made it back out," Tanna said. Firefighters found their bodies inside the home, Tanna said.
The house was built in 1920. Tanna said the old home's timbers were likely very dry, causing a fast-moving blaze. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
A sign at the end of the driveway blocked with yellow police tape says "The Cantrells Est. Feb. 7, 2004." Bouquets of flowers and two teddy bears had been placed nearby.
Firefighters from Cotton Volunteer Fire Department, which is less than two miles away, were on the scene within four minutes of receiving the dispatch call. Assistant Chief Kevin Dove said the house was already engulfed in flames.
"They perished before our arrival," said Dove, a veteran firefighter. "It was horrible."
The three bodies were all recovered on the second floor, he said. It did not appear the father was able to reach the girls.
Louise Cantrell was treated and released from a Fayetteville hospital for smoke inhalation, Dove said. The family dog, a Rottweiler named Sasha, also survived the fire and was being kept by neighbors.
Cantrell was a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. He held the rank of chief warrant officer 2, which authorized Cantrell to lead half of his 12-member Green Beret team if it was split up, said Lt. Col. April Olsen, a spokeswoman for Army Special Forces Command.
Cantrell joined the Army in 1994 and had one combat deployment to Iraq and five to Afghanistan, returning from the last mission in August, Olsen said. His record included four Bronze Stars and one Purple Heart, awarded for wounds suffered in a war zone, Olsen said. Details of the acts that earned the medals were not immediately available, she said.
"There are no words to express the sorrow felt in our close-knit community when a family suffers such a tragedy," the command said on its Facebook page.
Isabella attended nearby Ed V. Baldwin Elementary School. Principal Todd Yardis said the girl's teacher and a grief counselor broke the news of what happened to her classmates shortly after they arrived in the morning.
Yardis said both Cantrell parents had been very active at the school, with Edward Cantrell sometimes stopping by in his Army uniform. He recounted how excited the young girl was when her father returned home from his most recent tour of duty.
"Bella was a very happy, loving girl," Yardis said. "She was one of those students who would run up and hug you around the leg when you passed her class in the hall."
Yardis said Cantrell was a hero for trying to save his girls. The father had recently spoken about retiring from the service, rather than returning overseas and being separated from his family again.
"He talked about wanting to get out of the military and opening his own business," Yardis said. "He wanted to open a tattoo parlor."
Cindy Jacobs, who works at an assisted living home next door, said Louise Cantrell ran to the facility during the fire to get the staff to call 911. Jacobs said she knew the family, especially the mother, who would often stop to make small talk as she drove by. The two girls were often in the car or outside playing.
"She was with those girls all the time," said Jacobs, the executive director of the ARC of Hope Mills. "It's so sad. I can't imagine what she's going through."
Jacobs said she learned Edward Cantrell was in the military when investigators visited to ask about him as part of the procedure for getting a top secret security clearance.
"We knew he was Special Forces," Jacobs said. "He was just a heck of a guy. Very, very friendly."
The girls were energetic children, said Jacobs, who has an active-duty son in the Navy and whose husband is a civilian employee at Fort Bragg. "They were just adorable little girls," she said.
BRAVO ZULU Staff Sgt. Petry.....You have our thanks and admiration.
Heroism Defined
Leroy Petry and the Medal of Honor
OPINION - WALL STREET JOURNAL
Of all the words that modern English has debased, probably none rivals "hero" for promiscuous usage. To read about what an Army Ranger named Leroy Petry did in Afghanistan on May 26, 2008 is to understand what heroism in its truest sense denotes.
Staff Sgt. Petry, who yesterday was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama, was taking part in a helicopter raid on a Taliban compound in Paktia province when a round from an AK-47 went through both of his legs. He remained in action, helping one fellow soldier move to safety and then returning to fight. He later grabbed a live grenade that had landed near two other Rangers. It detonated as he tried to throw it away, severing his right hand and riddling his body with shrapnel.
Staff Sgt. Petry survived the battle, and in winning the Medal of Honor he joins Staff Sgt. Salvatore Guinta among the nine recipients of the honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the only two living. There has been some controversy as to why the Medal has been bestowed so sparingly in our current wars—248 were awarded in Vietnam—with some arguing that a risk-averse Pentagon brass fears giving it to soldiers who might have embarrassing blemishes on their service records. The likeliest explanation is that most casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have come about as a result of IED attacks.
Whatever the case, it detracts nothing from the honor, sacrifice and courage of our service members that the Medal of Honor remains rare and, therefore, precious. In an age in which it seems like every teacher, nurse and Little League coach gets to be called a "hero," it's important to have the likes of Staff Sgt. Petry to remind us of the real meaning of a word, no quote marks, full stop.
The world lost more than one hero
yesterday.
