HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

We wish you all a very Happy and Meaningful Memorial Day. Please take some time today to reflect on the meaning of the day and to thank those brave Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Please also keep in your thoughts and prayers those brave Americans (and their families) who are currently serving our country, particularly overseas in the War on Terror.

On this Memorial Day, I am going to particularly remember a couple things...

This is the one year anniversary of a tragic loss of American soldiers near Muqdadiyah, Iraq on Memorial Day 2007. On this day last year, an American helicopter was downed by terrorist insurgents in Iraq. Lost were the two pilots: LT Keith Heidtman and CWO Theodore Church.

When the helicopter went down, a quick reaction force from 6-9 Cavalry on FOB Normandy was scrambled to respond to the downed helicopter. Tragically, enemy IEDs killed six of these soldiers on the way to the scene. Lost were:

LT Kyle West

SGT Jonathan Markham

SGT Anthony Ewing

CPL James Summers

CPL Zachary Baker

SPC Alexandre Alexeev

This mission played a central role in the case of SGT Leonardo Trevino, and its impact on the entire unit was dramatic. I will be keeping the two pilots, the six Army Cavalry troopers and their families in my thoughts and prayers today.

An article on this incident can be accessed at:

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54053&archive=truehttp://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54053&archive=true

Today I will also be thinking about the Honor Flight program. The Honor Flight program is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for their sacrifices. They fly American veterans, free of charge, to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials from our wars to honor their fallen brothers and sisters. Priority for these free Honor Flights is given to senior veterans. Right now, those are the remaining WWII veterans. After the WWII veterans, the organization will focus on veterans of the war in Korea and the war in Vietnam. When I think of the ultimate sacrifice paid by those who are represented and remembered by our war memorials, I can think of no more fitting tribute to them than to have those they served with visit the memorials and offer their private thoughts, remembrances and reflections about those who were lost.

The Honor Flight program can be accessed at:

http://www.honorflight.org/

We live in an amazing country and our freedoms are protected through the sacrifices of our military. So many have paid the ultimate sacrifice. We thank and honor them all!

By: Attorney Richard V. Stevens

Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer

Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, PC

http://www.militaryadvocate.com

Blog postscript: Attorney Frank Spinner and I (attorney Richard Stevens) are former active duty military lawyers (JAG). Our perspectives and advice, therefore, are based upon our experience as military defense lawyers and as civilian criminal defense lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of military law. This blog addresses issues in military law, military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case, please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens & The Law Office of Frank J. Spinner for a free consultation.