thedrifter
01-01-07, 07:49 AM
Article published Jan 1, 2007
Company B's Christmas: A Marine remembered
Unit recalls the day Elkhart's Cpl. Aaron Seal fell
FRED DODD
Tribune Staff Writer
CAMP TAQADDUM, IRAQ -- Since their arrival here in late August, a few South Bend Marines have suffered concussions during improvised explosive device blasts.
Another broke an ankle tripping over something in a dark room.
But for the most part, luck has been with Engineer Company B during this deployment.
Except for Sunday, Oct. 1 -- the day that Elkhart's Cpl. Aaron Seal, 23, was killed by a sniper.
"We had a pretty good idea that it was going to be a lot different than last time -- that there was a good chance that somebody was going to get hurt, or possibly die, because every unit that's been over here has been taking casualties," said Sgt. James Stanley, of Elkhart."We were over here a little more than a month and nothing had happened. We had this nice chow hall, the Internet, and I'm sure everybody got a little complacent and didn't really think that that we were in a war zone. It didn't seem like it."
A group of Company B Marines, including Seal, was working on a construction project in a small village near Al Asad.
The project included covering a pair of stone buildings' dirt floors with decking, adding electricity, air conditioning, heat and lighting. The combat engineers were building what would eventually become an Iraqi police station -- hopefully so full of "creature comforts" that the Iraqi police would bring their families -- helping to stabilize the area.
A manned observation post (OP) sat in a corner of one roof.
"This building had stairs going up, but no cover for the hole in the roof," recalled Lance Cpl. Daniel Lepper, of Goshen. "We were putting a shanty on top to keep in the heat and to give the guys a little bit of cover as they were walking to and from their posts so they wouldn't be sniper targets."Gunnery Sgt. Todd Mansfield, of Michigan City, was the job foreman.
"We were working on the roof. We hadn't had any problems at all. I had come up the steps. Seal was working on one side of the roof. Lepper was outside too. I had come out, said something to him, and went back in. Inside the landing, I was like 'What the hell was that?' It sounded like a rifle shot. It was a real loud crack.
"The OP was right there in the corner of the building. The guy in the OP was like 'Hey, is that Marine hit?' I came up, stuck my head around the corner and he's lying on the ground. I ran out and grabbed hold of him and Lepper grabbed his other arm and we pulled him in."
There was nothing they could do."I didn't even know where the shots came from," Mansfield explained. "You could see the Euphrates about 500 meters away. There were houses. There was a village on one side. It could've come from anywhere."
Mansfield said the project continued until its completion nearly a week later.
"They asked us if we thought we were going to be able to get it done or 'was it too dangerous?' We talked about it quite a bit. There was never any question about the Marines wanting to quit the job and go back. I don't think anybody wanted to quit. It's definitely not what Seal would've wanted. After paying that kind of price who wants to walk away and leave the job half done?"
Back in Engineer Village, Company B's base camp, word spread quickly.
"We were all down in a class," Master Sgt. Charles Daily, of Niles, recalled. "I think the major (company commander Maj. Mark Boone) was talking to the company. The COC (combat operations center) came over and grabbed the major and the first sergeant. You just get the feeling 'Why do they want them right now? Something's not right.'"A lot of the guys grew up with Cpl. Seal," Daily said. "They went to high school with him, and they worked with him in the civilian world."
"It was just a shock -- unbelievable," Stanley said. "Everybody took it really hard -- even people who didn't know him very well. It was just extremely hard to deal with. It was tough having to be here and not be there for his funeral. But we still had a job to do over here. Seal was an incredible worker. If he was still here he'd want us to keep working and get the job done."
Sgt. Matthew Martin, of South Bend, described the entire day as surreal. "I know exactly what day he died because when I walked outside I noticed clouds in the sky. It was the first time since I'd been in Iraq that I saw clouds, so I started taking all sorts of pictures. The next thing I know the clouds are getting thicker and thicker and thicker. I identify the day I took those pictures with the day Seal passed away."
"We worked together on Toys for Tots," Stanley recalled. "The main thing I remember is that we have to do a mandatory two days for Toys for Tots. Well, Seal did six days. He came in an extra four days without pay. That was just the kind of guy he was. He didn't mind the work. That's something I'll always remember about him. We lost a great Marine when he passed away."
Gunnery Sgt. Louis Bain, of Burns Harbor, Ind., recalled working with Seal during one of their annual reserve training missions. "We went down to New Mexico and built a fence along the border. There were days that were long and hot. It was not a good job -- it was real dirty. Somehow he made it seem lighthearted and everybody just followed him. He was an awesome Marine."Gunnery Sgt. John Kroll, of Valparaiso, Ind., was Seal's platoon sergeant. He seconded Bain's assessment.
"I don't think Cpl. Seal really knew it but I think he was a teacher more than anything else. He taught us how to approach life. He taught us more than anything how to smile. You could never take the smile off his face.
"It's people like him that really make life the experience that it is and you become a richer person for having known them," Kroll added.
Ellie
Company B's Christmas: A Marine remembered
Unit recalls the day Elkhart's Cpl. Aaron Seal fell
FRED DODD
Tribune Staff Writer
CAMP TAQADDUM, IRAQ -- Since their arrival here in late August, a few South Bend Marines have suffered concussions during improvised explosive device blasts.
Another broke an ankle tripping over something in a dark room.
But for the most part, luck has been with Engineer Company B during this deployment.
Except for Sunday, Oct. 1 -- the day that Elkhart's Cpl. Aaron Seal, 23, was killed by a sniper.
"We had a pretty good idea that it was going to be a lot different than last time -- that there was a good chance that somebody was going to get hurt, or possibly die, because every unit that's been over here has been taking casualties," said Sgt. James Stanley, of Elkhart."We were over here a little more than a month and nothing had happened. We had this nice chow hall, the Internet, and I'm sure everybody got a little complacent and didn't really think that that we were in a war zone. It didn't seem like it."
A group of Company B Marines, including Seal, was working on a construction project in a small village near Al Asad.
The project included covering a pair of stone buildings' dirt floors with decking, adding electricity, air conditioning, heat and lighting. The combat engineers were building what would eventually become an Iraqi police station -- hopefully so full of "creature comforts" that the Iraqi police would bring their families -- helping to stabilize the area.
A manned observation post (OP) sat in a corner of one roof.
"This building had stairs going up, but no cover for the hole in the roof," recalled Lance Cpl. Daniel Lepper, of Goshen. "We were putting a shanty on top to keep in the heat and to give the guys a little bit of cover as they were walking to and from their posts so they wouldn't be sniper targets."Gunnery Sgt. Todd Mansfield, of Michigan City, was the job foreman.
"We were working on the roof. We hadn't had any problems at all. I had come up the steps. Seal was working on one side of the roof. Lepper was outside too. I had come out, said something to him, and went back in. Inside the landing, I was like 'What the hell was that?' It sounded like a rifle shot. It was a real loud crack.
"The OP was right there in the corner of the building. The guy in the OP was like 'Hey, is that Marine hit?' I came up, stuck my head around the corner and he's lying on the ground. I ran out and grabbed hold of him and Lepper grabbed his other arm and we pulled him in."
There was nothing they could do."I didn't even know where the shots came from," Mansfield explained. "You could see the Euphrates about 500 meters away. There were houses. There was a village on one side. It could've come from anywhere."
Mansfield said the project continued until its completion nearly a week later.
"They asked us if we thought we were going to be able to get it done or 'was it too dangerous?' We talked about it quite a bit. There was never any question about the Marines wanting to quit the job and go back. I don't think anybody wanted to quit. It's definitely not what Seal would've wanted. After paying that kind of price who wants to walk away and leave the job half done?"
Back in Engineer Village, Company B's base camp, word spread quickly.
"We were all down in a class," Master Sgt. Charles Daily, of Niles, recalled. "I think the major (company commander Maj. Mark Boone) was talking to the company. The COC (combat operations center) came over and grabbed the major and the first sergeant. You just get the feeling 'Why do they want them right now? Something's not right.'"A lot of the guys grew up with Cpl. Seal," Daily said. "They went to high school with him, and they worked with him in the civilian world."
"It was just a shock -- unbelievable," Stanley said. "Everybody took it really hard -- even people who didn't know him very well. It was just extremely hard to deal with. It was tough having to be here and not be there for his funeral. But we still had a job to do over here. Seal was an incredible worker. If he was still here he'd want us to keep working and get the job done."
Sgt. Matthew Martin, of South Bend, described the entire day as surreal. "I know exactly what day he died because when I walked outside I noticed clouds in the sky. It was the first time since I'd been in Iraq that I saw clouds, so I started taking all sorts of pictures. The next thing I know the clouds are getting thicker and thicker and thicker. I identify the day I took those pictures with the day Seal passed away."
"We worked together on Toys for Tots," Stanley recalled. "The main thing I remember is that we have to do a mandatory two days for Toys for Tots. Well, Seal did six days. He came in an extra four days without pay. That was just the kind of guy he was. He didn't mind the work. That's something I'll always remember about him. We lost a great Marine when he passed away."
Gunnery Sgt. Louis Bain, of Burns Harbor, Ind., recalled working with Seal during one of their annual reserve training missions. "We went down to New Mexico and built a fence along the border. There were days that were long and hot. It was not a good job -- it was real dirty. Somehow he made it seem lighthearted and everybody just followed him. He was an awesome Marine."Gunnery Sgt. John Kroll, of Valparaiso, Ind., was Seal's platoon sergeant. He seconded Bain's assessment.
"I don't think Cpl. Seal really knew it but I think he was a teacher more than anything else. He taught us how to approach life. He taught us more than anything how to smile. You could never take the smile off his face.
"It's people like him that really make life the experience that it is and you become a richer person for having known them," Kroll added.
Ellie