‘We remember every day:’ How the 3rd Special Forces Group is remembering its fallen Fort Bragg soldiers

FORT BRAGG — Some families clung to each other as tears were wiped away.

Others remained somber as bagpipes played “Amazing Grace.”

All stood in silence as the names of more than 60 soldiers who served with 3rd Special Forces Group were called out.

The families joined the group Wednesday at Fort Bragg to remember the 64 soldiers killed since 2002 while deployed during the Global War on Terror.

The ceremony celebrated the lives of the fallen soldiers, said Col. David Haskell, deputy commander of the 3rd Special Forces Group.

A soldier places a rose atop a memorial stone during 3rd Special Forces Group’s memorial ceremony, which honors the group’s soldiers killed in action.

Haskell said he served alongside many of the fallen in the valleys and mountains of Afghanistan and personally knew nine of the fallen, many of whom volunteered to serve during a time of war and knew the “hazards of their chosen profession.”

“Today is one ceremony, one remembrance, one day, but I promise all of you that in this group, we remember every day,” Haskell told the Gold Star families in attendance at Tuesday’s ceremony.

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“We can never repay you, only honor you and maintain our solemn promise that we will never forget your loved ones, and we will never forget their sacrifice,” he said. “Your strength is an inspiration for us all, and you encourage us to live up to the values these soldiers fought so hard to protect.”

Roses sit on the memorial stone for Sgt. 1st Class Justin Monschke during 3rd Special Forces Group’s memorial ceremony, which honors the group’s soldiers killed in action.

Haskell said the stones that line the 3rd Special Forces Group’s memorial walk symbolize more than the names etched on them.

“We do not just see stones,” he said. “We see friends. We see teammates. We see brothers. We see fathers, and we see sons. We remember their friendship, their stories, their courage and our shared experiences in combat.”

Soldiers hold roses as they march out to place them on the memorial stones during 3rd Special Forces Group’s memorial ceremony, which honors the group’s soldiers killed in action.

Capt. Marcus Smith, chaplain, prayed that those remembering the fallen soldiers would “recommit” themselves to the “lessons of life and sacrifice” that the soldiers taught.

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“May we who remain, the men and women of valor, take into heart the very best of these examples from these men who we memorialize here today,” Smith prayed.

The soldiers remembered Wednesday were:  

• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Stanley Harriman – March 2, 2002, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Peter Tycz II – June 12, 2002, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Mitchell Lane – Aug. 29, 2003, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Paul Sweeney – Oct. 30, 2003, Afghanistan.

• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bruce Price – May 15, 2044, Afghanistan.

• Capt. Daniel Eggers, May 29, 2004, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Robert Mogensen, May 29, 2004, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt Robert Goodwin – Sept. 20, 2004, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Tony Olaes – Sept. 20, 2004, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. Jason Palmerton – July 23, 2005, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Christopher Falkel – Aug. 8, 2005, Afghanistan.

• Capt. Jeremy Chandler – Aug. 11, 2005, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class James Ochsner – Nov. 15, 2005, Afghanistan.

• Master Sgt. Anthony R.C. Yost –  Nov. 19, 2005, Iraq.

• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Scott Dyer – Oct. 11, 2006, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Kyu Chay – Oct. 28, 2006, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class William Brown – Nov. 6, 2006, Afghanistan.

• Sgt 1st Class Tung Nguyen  – Nov. 14, 2006, Iraq.

• Sgt 1st Class Justin Monschke – Oct. 14, 2007, Iraq.

• Staff Sgt. Robert Miller – Jan. 25, 2008, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. William Neil Jr.  – March 22, 2008, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. Nicholas Robertson – April 3, 2008, from wounds suffered April 2 in Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Marc Small – Feb. 13, 2009, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Jeremy Bessa  – Feb. 20, 2009, Afghanistan.

• Master Sgt. David Hurt – Feb. 20, 2009, Afghanistan.

• Capt. David Thompson – Jan. 29, 2010, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Kyle Warren – July 29, 2010, Afghanistan.

• Capt. Jason Holbrook – July 29, 2010, Afghanistan.

• Master Sgt. Benjamin Bitner – April 23, 2011, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. Aaron Blasjo – May 29, 2011, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Martin Apolinar – May 29, 2011, Afghanistan.

• Capt. Joseph Schultz – May 29, 2011, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Brandon Eggleston – April 26, 2012, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Brandon Pepper – July 21, 2012, Afghanistan.

• Master Sgt. Gregory Trent – Aug. 8, 2012, from wounds suffered July 31 in Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Riley Stephens – Sept. 28, 2012, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Justin Marquez – Oct. 6, 2012, Afghanistan.

• Warrant Officer 1 Joseph Schiro – Oct. 6, 2012, Afghanistan.

• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Duskin – Oct. 23, 2012, Afghanistan.

• Capt. Andrew Pedersen-Keel – March 11, 2013, Afghanistan.

• Master Sgt. George Bannar Jr. – Aug. 20, 2013, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Daniel Lee – Jan. 15, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Spc. Christopher Landis – Feb. 10, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Roberto Skelt Jr. – Feb. 12, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Spc. John A. Pelham – Feb. 12, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Capt. Jason Jones –  June 2, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Girard Gass Jr.  – Aug. 3, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Michael Cathcart – Nov. 14, 2014, Afghanistan.

• Master Sgt. Pablo Ruiz III – May 24, 2015, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Zachary Bannister – Oct. 17, 2016, Kenya.

• Warrant Officer 1 Shawn Thomas – Feb. 2, 2017, Niger.

• Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar – June 4, 2017, Mali.

• Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson – Oct. 4, 2017, Niger.

• Staff Sgt. Bryan Black – Oct. 4, 2017, Niger.

• Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright – Oct. 4, 2017, Niger.

• Sgt. LaDavid Johnson – Oct. 4, 2017, Niger.

• Staff Sgt. Alexander Conrad – June 2, 2018, Somalia.

• Capt. Andrew Ross – Nov. 27, 2019, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Eric Emond – Nov. 27, 2019, Afghanistan.

• Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Beale – Jan. 22, 2019, Afghanistan.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fort Bragg 3rd Special Forces Group remembers fallen Green Berets