Alpha Company Visits Sarasota - Many of you have probably seen local media accounts of city employees preparing CARE packages to send to American soldiers deployed in the Middle East, something that people all over Sarasota contributed to. The folks who organize that work call themselves "ACES", for Association of City Employees for Service. In cooperation with a national organization called Americans Serving Americans, ACES has adopted in each of the past two years an American combat unit, last year a unit serving in Iraq, Charlie Company of the 1st Army Infantry, and this year Alpha Company of the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, recently returned from Afghanistan and previously deployed in Iraq.
Last week four very impressive young men came to Sarasota to express their appreciation for the support the community had given them during their deployment. In a presentation in the City Commission chambers last Friday they provided a slide and video snapshot of their time in Afghanistan, and heard the appreciation of many who had gathered to honor their service, including a specially-seated group of city employees who are also veterans. The pride those in attendance felt in those men was such that you could almost reach out and touch it, as was the appreciation the troops expressed for the support they had been given. I attend a lot of ceremonies and events, and this one was truly special.
A thanks is owed to all of the people of Sarasota who continue to contribute to this effort. A special thanks to the employees who make up ACES for their amazing dedication to the cause of supporting our troops, and for their tireless efforts to organize last week's visit by Alpha Company. Finally, a special thank you to the men of Alpha Company (I'm not being chauvinistic, this is an all-male combat unit) not only for your service but also for taking the time to visit Sarasota, we hope you enjoyed your stay. I don't know any of your parents, but I think I'm on safe ground to say that they must be very, very proud.
Last week four very impressive young men came to Sarasota to express their appreciation for the support the community had given them during their deployment. In a presentation in the City Commission chambers last Friday they provided a slide and video snapshot of their time in Afghanistan, and heard the appreciation of many who had gathered to honor their service, including a specially-seated group of city employees who are also veterans. The pride those in attendance felt in those men was such that you could almost reach out and touch it, as was the appreciation the troops expressed for the support they had been given. I attend a lot of ceremonies and events, and this one was truly special.
A thanks is owed to all of the people of Sarasota who continue to contribute to this effort. A special thanks to the employees who make up ACES for their amazing dedication to the cause of supporting our troops, and for their tireless efforts to organize last week's visit by Alpha Company. Finally, a special thank you to the men of Alpha Company (I'm not being chauvinistic, this is an all-male combat unit) not only for your service but also for taking the time to visit Sarasota, we hope you enjoyed your stay. I don't know any of your parents, but I think I'm on safe ground to say that they must be very, very proud.
posted by Michael McNees at 3:19 PM
1 Comments:
Kudos to City Staff for their support to these troops.
I was glad to hear that citizens were able to look into the face of a Soldier, talk to him, and be reminded of his individual humanity. Let's face it, success and positive imagery are not the priority for news coverage in today's media. As such, I fear that these individual Soldiers, their personal sacrifices, and their individual and collective contributions to the service of their country, will be forever lost to history.
Gone are the days of battlefield highlight reels being played at the local theatre, gone are the days of our movie stars raising money for the boys over seas, and gone are the days when all Americans spoke in support of their Soldiers with one strong and consistent voice. It seems that only through efforts from groups such as ACES and Americans Serving Americans, are Soldiers remembered compassionately.
Many of us can remember the heroic actions of 1st Army and the 82nd Airborne Division, the units these four Soldiers came from, because of the positive stories that were told at the time and to this day.
For example, during WWII, we know that 1st Army was the first unit to hit the beaches at Normandy, and the first to enter both Paris and Berlin. Also, we know about the 82nd’s heroism during the Battle of the Bulge and earlier in Sicily and across Italy. Can any one reading this blog recall hearing about the success of either of these two units, or any one of their Soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan? Probably not. However I am sure that we all know about the success the insurgency is having.
Anyway, supporting our troops is a noble thing, and I am glad to see we are doing it locally. As a reminder, your local National Guard Unit has 54 Soldiers currently deployed in Iraq, and so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
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