FEMALE ON THE FLOOR!: Remembering

You know what they say about these pictures! Doubly true during the middle of a hot humid climate in BDUs!

During my time at 536th, we lost 2 soldiers. Choi was from my platoon. My name was one called during "Roll Call" which is a beautiful part of the ceremony as the army performs it. I'm not sure if the other branches do it the same way, but several names are called, 2 or 3 maybe, names of troops that are present at the memorial service. When the 1st Sgt. calls the name of the troop, the troop then stands to attention and calls out, "HERE FIRST SERGEANT!" Then the 1st Sergeant calls the name of the missing troop to which there's no answer. The 1st Sgt. calls the troop's name maybe 2 more times before he says, "Remove Specialist Choi's name from the roll."

Well, I just lost it. Not very soldiery. By this time in the Army, I had experienced 4 deaths in my own family and had not attended the funerals of any of them. And the memorial service for my close working buddy, SPC Sumlin, held out in the field where most of the battalion was deployed at the time, was not attended by me as well. I was in the Rear, where we lost Sumlin. More on that later, but Choi, an exceptional soldier, was the first military memorial service I had ever attended. Actually, it was, until Aaron's, the only one.



An article out of the Tropic Times published on Friday, April 19, 1991.

the Rear (with help from the Front) of Task Force 536th.

Specialist Austin and Specialist Sumlin

April 1991.

I'm going to take some time and write something special for Sumlin. I have misplaced some of the things I'd saved of Sumlin's memorial, to include a copy of a letter that Aaron wrote to Sumlin's mom in Alabama. I want to do justice to it, because Sumlin was very special to me.

So back later. I'll try to get it done tonight.