Home » Archives » "Two Military Branches Grieve As One For Fallen Heroes"

Two Military Branches Grieve As One For Fallen Heroes

Nov-16-2004 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT , TF Olympia

[Link to Full Article]
By Keith Eldridge

FORT LEWIS - The Army and the Air Force came together Tuesday to grieve the loss of two men who served together and died together in Iraq.

Army Major Gary Moore and Air Force Master Sergeant Steven Auchman are being remembered as men who were proud of serving their country, and chose to be in Iraq.

Army green and Air Force blue were all mixed as one inside the Fort Lewis Chapel.

There's often friendly competition between the branches, but in war they work as one.

That's what Major Moore and Master Sergeant Auchman were doing; both teamed together with the Army's Stryker Brigade in Mosul.

A mortar attack inside their compound killed both exactly a week ago.

"He has not died in vain," said Army Major Timothy Gauthier. "His legacy will live on. And the Lance Brigade will never forget the sacrifice of Major Gary Moore. We will continue to serve his memory well and keep Gary and his family in our thoughts and prayers."

"We was the kind of leader any soldier would follow," said Army MSG Cheryl Staffa. "The kind of leader who didn't just read the one-minute manager, he actually put his principals in practice. He always had a word of praise for soldiers who had done things correctly and a smile or a joke when anyone needed cheering up." [...]

Master Sergeant Auchman's family was here. Wife Jenny and sons Brian and Eric are from Lacey. They didn't speak at the memorial, but Jenny spoke with us a few days ago about her husband.

"That he was a very wonderful person, that he was proud to serve the military and he believed in what he was doing," she said.


Advertisements