Not to piggy-back on Wiz's story, but something I wanted to pass along. Day before yesterday, I found out that a young Soldier passed away on 1 Aug 08. This is something that we all hear about on a daily basis, but this was a little different, at least for me. This Soldier, SGT Chad Byrne of the New York Army National Guard was injured in an attack by a suicide bomber in Iraq on Easter Day in 2004 and later by an IED at a checkpoint in September 2004 - he received two Purple Hearts during that tour. He survived as did several of his buddies - some did not. Tom Brokaw interviewed the team as part of a Dateline interview.

I knew Chad because he was going through our program - the Community Based Health Care Organization - Massachusetts, which falls under the US Army Medical Department. Our mission is to take care of Soldiers first by getting them closer to home where their support network is, and second, by getting them into the community healthcare system, seeing in many cases the clinicians they had seen throughout their life. We also have a duty that is not glamourous, when a Soldier reaches a point where their injuries no longer will heal any more and it is deemed that they will not be able to return to service, they must enter the Physical Disability Evaluation System to determine their fitness for duty. I had to guide him through this since his injuries would probably never be healed enough. Chad's case manager is a very good friend of mine of many years, having been with him in the Guard for the better part of a decade. We both, along with the rest of the cadre, worked to help Chad as best we could. Chad was retired for disability purposes in November 2007.

The way he passed away is what's frightening - encephalitis - either by a mosquito or a tick bite - took away someone who was blown up multiple times and served extensively and with in honor in the Army.

God Bless you SGT Chad Byrne, may you rest in peace.

My deepest condolences and prayers go out to his family.

A local article about him.

Wow, after all that. Life is fragile, never take it for granted.

I honor your memory SGT Byrne.

/Salute

Thank you for your service.

C

Thanks for that Bren, if you happen to talk to his family - tell them he has a whole community of folks that don't even know him that thank him for his service.

a very brave and honorable soul. my thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Wow, sometimes you never know what life will throw your way, Hard to imagine after making it thru all that he had, that a small often unnoticed pest would be his down fall. I will offer up prayers for him and his family. Sometimes the littlest things are the most deadly of things. When I next meet with buddies I toast the lost of this brave man, and all the service men and women serving our great nation!.

Jay - Ratticus

Things like this are always heart wrenching even if you do not know those involved. My sympathies go out to all those who knew him.

The soldiers who die in battle make the news and are justifiably honored as heroes. Those who survive are too often forgotten by the system and pay the ultimate price just the same. It is sad in both cases, but in both cases they are still heros to us all.

Thanks Brendil for bringing his story to our attention. Again my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.