thedrifter
06-16-07, 07:15 AM
Soldier kept faith in Iraq mission
The Grand Rapids Press
Patriot Guard Riders on Harley-Davidsons, drove past.
A boy kept his hand over his heart.
A woman held a sign: "Home of the Free Because of the Brave, Thank You for Serving."
They were here to honor one of our own, Pfc. Shawn Gajdos, a 25-year-old Grand Rapids man killed last week in a Baghdad insurgent attack.
"Our nation is at war," Brig. Gen. Thomas Cole said Friday during Gajdos' funeral at Grand Rapids First Assembly Church in Wyoming. "It's a massive undertaking (with) 150,000 soldiers, tens of thousands of airmen, marines, sailors and our allies. "But the war is fought and won on a very personal level."
The war struck Gajdos' family June 6, when he was hit by a roadside bomb and artillery fire. He had volunteered as a gunner -- to replace an injured friend -- when he was killed. His family took comfort knowing he always had wanted to serve in the military, always wanted to serve his country.
He thought he could make a difference, keeping this country safe while helping oppressed Iraqis, particularly the young children he befriended there.
Cole presented Gajdos' sister, Tammie DenBoer, with his Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge as she sat near her brother's flag-covered casket. He also earned a Good Conduct Medal.
"It's not just the soldiers that give so much -- it's the families, also," Cole said. Americans "understand you shoulder the burden, that you, too, have roads to travel, providing for our nation's freedoms and safety."
He said Gajdos was the "type of soldier that others aspire to be like ... (and) aspire to be like as a person. He is one of those Americans who gave everything so that ... fellow Americans could live free. Men and women who stand for more than their own self-interest. May God look over Specialist Shawn Gajdos and the soldiers he served with."
The soldier's family entered the church in tears to a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace," and, later, listened to Tim McGraw's tribute, "If You're Reading This (I'm Already Home)," about a soldier's last letter to family.
"We want you to know that God's spirit is here to comfort every one of you," said the Rev. Sam Rijfkogel, who met with the soldier's distraught mother the night she learned her son had died.
Her son, described as bright, kind, with a quiet sense of humor, made a difference in the world, he said.
He would have made a "great dad," with his love for children. His nieces and nephews were precious to him. In letters home, he asked for candy to give Iraqi children.
His family recalled he would help anyone. He brought people home who had no place to stay.
"He never, ever met a stranger," Rijfkogel said.
Capt. Michael A. Jurick Jr., his commander in Iraq, wrote a letter read during the service. The two were close, with Gajdos serving as his driver before he volunteered for the gunner position.
Jurick said serving with Gajdos was "the highest honor," with Gajdos being "everything you could ask for in a soldier. ... Gajdos was the soldier that all leaders loved to have on their side."
Gajdos had only one reason, he said, for joining the military: "He joined because he wanted to serve his country ... bottom line."
Gajdos was based in Kansas and left for Iraq on Feb. 6 as part of the troop "surge" in Iraq. Within three weeks, he was assigned to Baghdad.
Jurick said he and Gajdos spent so much time together "it is quite possible that he knows more about me than my own wife."
He drew a laugh with: "I know all about the 'wet burrito,' and how only someone from Grand Rapids would know what it is."
He described Gajdos' dream: going home, buying a Volkswagen, settling down.
His last words to Gajdos, as the soldier rolled out, were, "Be safe, man."
Send e-mail to the author: jagar@grpress.com
Ellie
The Grand Rapids Press
Patriot Guard Riders on Harley-Davidsons, drove past.
A boy kept his hand over his heart.
A woman held a sign: "Home of the Free Because of the Brave, Thank You for Serving."
They were here to honor one of our own, Pfc. Shawn Gajdos, a 25-year-old Grand Rapids man killed last week in a Baghdad insurgent attack.
"Our nation is at war," Brig. Gen. Thomas Cole said Friday during Gajdos' funeral at Grand Rapids First Assembly Church in Wyoming. "It's a massive undertaking (with) 150,000 soldiers, tens of thousands of airmen, marines, sailors and our allies. "But the war is fought and won on a very personal level."
The war struck Gajdos' family June 6, when he was hit by a roadside bomb and artillery fire. He had volunteered as a gunner -- to replace an injured friend -- when he was killed. His family took comfort knowing he always had wanted to serve in the military, always wanted to serve his country.
He thought he could make a difference, keeping this country safe while helping oppressed Iraqis, particularly the young children he befriended there.
Cole presented Gajdos' sister, Tammie DenBoer, with his Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge as she sat near her brother's flag-covered casket. He also earned a Good Conduct Medal.
"It's not just the soldiers that give so much -- it's the families, also," Cole said. Americans "understand you shoulder the burden, that you, too, have roads to travel, providing for our nation's freedoms and safety."
He said Gajdos was the "type of soldier that others aspire to be like ... (and) aspire to be like as a person. He is one of those Americans who gave everything so that ... fellow Americans could live free. Men and women who stand for more than their own self-interest. May God look over Specialist Shawn Gajdos and the soldiers he served with."
The soldier's family entered the church in tears to a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace," and, later, listened to Tim McGraw's tribute, "If You're Reading This (I'm Already Home)," about a soldier's last letter to family.
"We want you to know that God's spirit is here to comfort every one of you," said the Rev. Sam Rijfkogel, who met with the soldier's distraught mother the night she learned her son had died.
Her son, described as bright, kind, with a quiet sense of humor, made a difference in the world, he said.
He would have made a "great dad," with his love for children. His nieces and nephews were precious to him. In letters home, he asked for candy to give Iraqi children.
His family recalled he would help anyone. He brought people home who had no place to stay.
"He never, ever met a stranger," Rijfkogel said.
Capt. Michael A. Jurick Jr., his commander in Iraq, wrote a letter read during the service. The two were close, with Gajdos serving as his driver before he volunteered for the gunner position.
Jurick said serving with Gajdos was "the highest honor," with Gajdos being "everything you could ask for in a soldier. ... Gajdos was the soldier that all leaders loved to have on their side."
Gajdos had only one reason, he said, for joining the military: "He joined because he wanted to serve his country ... bottom line."
Gajdos was based in Kansas and left for Iraq on Feb. 6 as part of the troop "surge" in Iraq. Within three weeks, he was assigned to Baghdad.
Jurick said he and Gajdos spent so much time together "it is quite possible that he knows more about me than my own wife."
He drew a laugh with: "I know all about the 'wet burrito,' and how only someone from Grand Rapids would know what it is."
He described Gajdos' dream: going home, buying a Volkswagen, settling down.
His last words to Gajdos, as the soldier rolled out, were, "Be safe, man."
Send e-mail to the author: jagar@grpress.com
Ellie