THANK YOU AGAIN TO THE RATTLESNAKES FOR ALLOWING ME TO PARTICIPATE IN HONORING THESE FALLEN HEROES.I’VE FOUND OUR UNIT’S EXPERIENCE IN THIS WAR IS FRAMED BY PARTICULAR DATES- DATES OF DEPLOYMENT, DATES OF VICTORY, AND UNFORTUNATELY, DATES OF TERRIBLE LOSS. APRIL 28TH NOW JOINS DATES LIKE APRIL 2ND, FEBRUARY 3RD, AND DECEMBER 21ST AS MARKS ON A CALENDAR THAT ARE SEARED INTO OUR PERSONAL AND UNIT MEMORY. THESE DATES SIGNIFY EVENTS OF SACRIFICE WE’LL REMEMBER FOREVER. ON APRIL 28TH, 1LT WILL EDENS AND SGT ERIC MORRIS BECAME THE SECOND AND THIRD SOLDIER’S FROM THIS GREAT COMPANY TO PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ. THEY, ALONG WITH COMRADES FROM BRAVE RIFLES, HAVE NOW JOINED THAT LONG LIST OF AMERICAN PATRIOTS WHO PLACED THEIR NATION’S AND FELLOWS NEEDS AHEAD OF THEIR OWN. THEY DID NOT SEEK THESE HONORS, YET THEY UNHESITATINGLY ACCEPTED THE RISKS THAT HAVE CAUSED TO GATHER IN THEIR HONOR. WE’VE FOUND WAR AN INGLORIOUS AND OFTEN INHUMANE ACT. WE HAVE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THE SACRIFICE AND DUTY EXHIBITED BY MEN LIKE ERIC MORRIS AND WILL EDENS PERSONALIZES THE TENANTS AND VALUES TO WHICH WE ASPIRE. THESE MEN WERE VOLUNTEERS IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD- SGT ERIC MORRIS UNHESITATINGLY LEFT A WIFE AND TWIN GIRLS TO RETURN TO IRAQ AFTER HAVING ALREADY SERVED HERE FOR OVER A YEAR WITH 1ST ARMORED DIVISION. HIS FAMILY DID NOT WANT HIM TO GO- NO WIFE AND CHILDREN WOULD. BUT ERIC MORRIS WAS A PROFESSIONAL SOLDIER, A WARRIOR WHO ACCEPTED DUTY ABOVE PERSONAL DESIRES. SGT MORRIS’ TIME WITH OUR BATTALION WAS FAR TOO SHORT BUT HIS EFFECT ON THE SOLDIERS OF THE ALPHA COMPANY’S MGS PLATOON WILL HAVE LASTING AND PERMANENT IMPACT. THE OTHER EVENING I WAS WITH SFC LADD AT THE CSH IN MOSUL AS WE WAITED FOR ERIC TO BEGIN HIS MOVEMENT HOME. I RECALL SGT LADD’S COMMENTS AS HE SAID TO ME THAT YOU COULDN’T LISTEN TO SGT MORRIS SPEAK WITHOUT SMILING. I SUPPOSE THAT WHEN EACH OF US LEAVES THIS LIFE, THAT SORT OF TRIBUTE WOULD BE WELCOME. IT’S A TRIBUTE THAT SAYS A MAN WAS LOVED AND RESPECTED. WILL EDENS WAS ENERGY, OPTIMISM, INTELLECT, AND DEDICATION WRAPPED UP IN A SINGLE PACKAGE. THE LAST TIME I VISITED FOB SYKES, WILL CORNERED ME AND ASKED ME TO COMMIT TO LEAVING HIM IN HIS PLATOON LEADER ROLE UNTIL WE REDEPLOYED- HE LOVED YOU MEN AND LOVED BEING THE MGS LEADER. IT’S BEEN SAID THAT BATTALION COMMANDERS GET A SERIES OF SNAPSHOTS OF LIEUTENANTS AS THEY EXECUTE THEIR DUTIES. I CAN NOT RECALL A MENTAL SNAPSHOT OF WILL EDENS WHERE HE WASN’T SMILING. HIS LIFE HAD AN ENERGY TO IT THAT SEEMED TO IMBUE THOSE AROUND HIM. AS I REMEMBER WILL EDENS THE SOLDIER… WILL EDENS THE MAN… I WILL REMEMBER WILL EDENS FOR HIS SMILE AND OPTIMISM MOST OF ALL. WILL, YOU WILL ALWAYS LEAD THE MGS PLATOON- YOUR SPIRIT LIVES ON IN YOUR MEN. OUR WORK IN IRAQ IS FAR FROM DONE. THE SACRIFICE OF THESE FOUR WARRIORS CHALLENGES US TO CONTINUE THE WORK THEY BEGAN. MANY YEARS FROM NOW WE WILL LOOK BACK ON THIS EFFORT AND CONSIDER OUR DUTY NOT IN LIGHT OF HOW MANY CACHE’S FOUND, OR ENEMY CAPTURED- WE WILL MEASURE OUR SELVES AGAINST THE STANDARD SET BY MEN LIKE WILL EDENS AND ERIC MORRIS. THEIR STANDARD IS ONE OF DUTY, SELFLESS SERVICE AND COURAGE. THE MEN HONORED TODAY REMAIN SHINING EXAMPLES OF THOSE TENANTS. WE CONTINUE OUR MISSION HERE IN HONOR OF THEM. Todd B. McCaffrey LTC, IN Commanding 1st Bn, 5th Infantry Regiment Mosul, Iraq