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Twenty-one Going on Forty
 By Randy DeCleene
Last week, two Task Force Marne soldiers serving with the Third Infantry Division were laid to rest as a result of wounds suffered from a roadside explosion near Mosul, Iraq.
The sacrifice made by First Lieutenant Robert W. Collins, 24, and Specialist William A. Blount, 21, is similar to the 12 other fallen Marne warriors since they arrived in northern Iraq during late 2009. Thirteen of these 14 heroes were under 30 years of age ... much too young to die. However, a closer look at their deaths and the passing of over 4,300 other Americans since the war started seven years ago provides a window into the remarkable nature and fortitude of the American soldier and hope for the future of our country.
To many Americans, the true face of a soldier is a mystery. They are dressed head to toe in camouflage with bodies obscured by a Kevlar vest, helmet, eye protection and other gear. They look more like Darth Vader than anything and not too many years ago were waiting tables or bagging groceries like other high school and college students. Countless soldiers on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan graduated high school after Sept. 11, President Clinton is the first commander-in-chief they recall and they don't remember the Soviet Union or a time without the Internet.
While many people their age are working a first "real office job" or just figuring out what to do career wise, these individuals chose a life embracing Army values and performing tasks requiring acumen well above their age. Each of them joined the Army knowing it was 'when' and not 'if' they would deploy to the Middle East.
During a recent refueling stop in Mosul on a UH-60 Black Hawk, one of the gunners and a pilot removed the facemask on their helmets and my first inclination was to ask if they had a driver's license. I also wondered if shaving for the first time was still a task for them to accomplish, an image belied by the confidence in their eyes. Many parents are uncomfortable with their 20-something child driving them on an Interstate. How about flying a Black Hawk ... a $6 million machine ... in a war zone and operating the aircraft's machine guns in the event we encountered enemy activity? The difference between life and death is in their hands and they perform near flawlessly mission after mission.
At the memorial service for Lt. Collins and Spc. Blount, a similar thing happened. Members of their unit, equally youthful, recounted good memories of the two fallen individuals in a room with hundreds of peers and commanders, as well as numerous generals. How many 20-year-olds could keep their composure and movingly speak about their friend who a few days earlier was brutally killed by an explosion, especially in the presence of such a large and esteemed crowd?
I never had the privilege to meet Lt. Collins or Spc. Blount, but I see other young soldiers in their mold every day. For those who make the choice to serve, loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage are a way of life and not just words. Embracing these values allows them to live meaningful lives, performing well above their years, with a legacy much longer than their time on earth.
While we can never bring the fallen back and death is an unfortunate part of war, take it from someone with the opportunity to see these young heroes in action ... America's future is in good hands.
(This is Randy's third article for us ... welcome back. He works at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, as a civilian senior advisor to the Third Infantry Division Commanding General. Previously, he worked with soldiers at the Pentagon as a special assistant to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, and before that he was deputy press secretary for Vice President Dick Cheney. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense or the U.S. government.)
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