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Taking Care of Their Own |
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Our Special Forces Chapter is just getting started, and as usual
we did not know how active duty SF treated War Deaths. Our plan was to
go down there and if no one showed up we would assist in anyway that was
proper. We also had a Regimental Flag to give SFC Johnson's wife.
Well today I got a class.
As we drove up to the Funeral Home in Corning CA, some 50 miles
south of us, we saw several large groups of 7th SFG(A) Soldiers standing
around.
What we finally found out was that there was a Two Star (Non SF)
General there. All Army Units from Northern California, i.e. Guard ,
Recruiting, etc. were in attendance. The ROTC Command at UC Davis was
there with their SF Advisor.
AND about 30 plus Green Berets from the 7th SFGA at Ft. Bragg, to
include the 1st Bn Commanding Officer and Command Sergeant Major (CSM),
a one star from the Special Warfare Center I believe, with another CSM,
a Chaplain, SF Team members, Honor Guard, Pall Bearers, Escorts for the
family and those sent immediately upon notification of his death, and on
and on.
I can't tell you how impressed and proud I was. When I mentioned
this to the Battalion Commanding Officer I was told, in no uncertain
terms, that SF takes care of their own and every KIA is treated the
same. I was more impressed after the funeral and lunch than I can ever
express in words.
The funeral was truly a SF Military Funeral of the first order.
John Cleckner
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