Patriot Day program recognizes Gold Star Families, Soldiers gather to honor, remember Pfc. Brett E. Wood

U.S. Army Private First Class (Pfc.) Brett Everett Wood, a 2010 graduate of Owen Valley High School, was remembered and honored at separate events held in Gosport and Spencer in the month of September.

Wood, 19, served during Operation Enduring Freedom and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

He was killed in Mushan, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device (IED) on Sept. 9, 2011.

Wood joined the Army in July 2010 and graduated from Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He arrived in Alaska in November 2010. His brigade had deployed to Afghanistan in mid-April 2011 for a planned one-year tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

A Patriot Day Celebration held Sept. 13 in Gosport Town Park honored several Gold Star Families, those who have lost an immediate family member in the line of duty of military service, including the families of Pfc. Wood, Army Sgt. Christopher K. Hilgert, Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Price and Army Staff Sgt. James Patton.

"To you, the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters of the fallen, we offer our deepest gratitude and respect," began VFW Post #7850 Commander Michael Oaks. "Your loved ones gave the last full measure of devotion to this nation, and you've worn that sacrifice with strength and dignity. Please know that we see you, we honor you, and we will never forget the price your family has paid for our freedom."

Oaks recalled one of the darkest days in our nation's history – Sept. 11, 2001.

"Our nation awoke to a morning like any other, but by the end of that day our world had been forever changed," he said. "We all remember where we were when we heard the news, and we remember the shock and disbelief and the grief, but we also remember something else, the way our nation came together in the days that followed. Strangers comforted one another, communities rallied, and Americans stood united under one flag. Out of the smoke and rubble rose the enduring spirit of the American people. That is why Sept. 11 is not only a day of mourning, but also a day of remembrance of what it means to be a Patriot."

Oaks noted the global war on terror would become the longest conflict in American history.

"With that came sacrifice, lives lost and families changed long after the battlefield," he said. "As we pause to honor those who gave their lives in the years since 9-11, let us also remember that they stand in a long and unbroken line of American heroes, from the Revolution that first secured our freedom to the battlefields of the Civil War that preserved our Union. From the trenches of World War I to the beaches of World War II, to the frozen hills of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam and the sands of the Persian Gulf. Every generation that produced Patriots who were willing to lay down their lives for liberty. We are here today because of them, because of their courage, their sacrifice and their families who bore their absence. Patriot Day reminds us that their legacy did not end in the pages of history; it lives on in every veteran and every Gold Star Family and in every citizen who chooses to serve something greater than themselves."

The program also featured guest speaker, retired Brigadier General Michael Osburn.

General Osburn began his career as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army in 1975 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Indiana Army National Guard in June 1982. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 as Commander of 2nd Battalion, 19th Agribusiness Development Team and later served as the Deputy Commander, 81st Troop Command, during the Indiana floods of 2008.

In addition, General Osburn's long and distinguished career included serving as Commander of Division Artillery, commanding a 1,000 person hurricanes Katrina and Rita Task Force in 2005, as well as serving as the Commander of Operation Noble Eagle from 2003 to 2005.

"Those who have served and those who are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice," General Osburn said. "We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured and may still be enduring agony of pain, deprivation and internment. We must never forget it is the strength of our military that has brought us to this point, and it is that strength that will continue to ensure our liberties."

Each of the Gold Star Families in attendance was later presented with triangular flags in wooden display boxes, along with Gold Star Family flags presented by the VFW Post #7850.

The following morning, Sept. 14, a special program was held in front of the Owen County War Memorial in downtown Spencer, featuring words of remembrance, stories of military service, laughter and countless tears from those who served alongside Pfc. Wood. The group also visited his headstone, located near the Soldiers Memorial Pavilion inside Riverside Cemetery.

Those who took part in the program, many traveling long distances to be in attendance, said it helped provide some closure to Pfc. Wood's passing. They told of visiting his headstone and the significance of placing coins on headstones of a service member or veteran as a show of respect and honor. A penny, they said, means someone has visited the grave. A nickel signifies that the visitor served with the deceased service member at boot camp. A dime means the visitor and deceased service member served together at some point. A quarter, they said, is left by someone who was physically with the service member when they died.

The words spoken during the 30-minute program by Pfc. Wood's fellow soldiers could best be summed up by a post shared to the In Remembrance of Brett Wood Facebook page the following day by Eric Yepez of Fresno, California: "Brett was more than a uniform – he was a son, a friend, a brother and a hero. His courage, dedication and selflessness will never be forgotten. Though his time with us was far too short, his impact is everlasting. We carry his memory with us every day, and we speak his name with pride. Rest in peace, Brett. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten."