‘A Little Pink’ Always Colors My Memorial Day

The American Flag flies above the US American Victory Museum & Memorial Ship, Tampa, FL.

Through almost 40 years of reporting – there are stories and people that never leave you.

A Little Pink In A World Of Camo, a military wife’s blog, is where I discovered such a heart-captivating story titled: I Will Always Be A Marine Wife.

I just need to share some sad news with all of my blog friends.

Sad isn’t even the word to describe it, but honestly at this point I can’t find the words to describe it. Angry, empty, crushed, confused, shocked, alone, unglued, hateful, depressed, beaten down… none of these words can do justice to my feelings.

I am being forced to do something that no 23 year old woman should ever have to do. I am being forced to do something that no one should ever have to do, not at this early in life, especially. I am being forced to lay the love of my life, my saving grace, my entire world to rest. …

– Rachel Porto –

And after reporting on their family’s loss, Ariana Porto, her mother Rachel Porto and grandmothers Evelyn Jewell and Rachel Bernaby (Porto’s mother) forever became a part of my Memorial Day remembrances.

I never met him and Corporal Jonathan Porto never held his daughter Ariana.

The closest he got was kneeling down and talking to her through Rachel’s pregnant belly on the day he deployed. An iconic photo of that moment was snapped by another Marine wife. Rachel was unaware at the time, but she ended up featuring the picture at the top of her blog: A Little Pink in a World of Camo.

Porto was one of 10 men killed in his battalion, the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment from Camp Lejeune, while deployed to Afghanistan. He died in March 2010 just shy of his first wedding anniversary.

What will always stay with me is that photo of Jonathan talking to his unborn daughter and the power of Rachel and Jonathan’s relationship. Jonathan made Rachel promise “no moping” while he was gone. And as difficult as the hours, days, months and years may have been since his death, Rachel continues to keep her promise to Jonathan. And she’s continued to write earning a masters’ degree in writing.

Please on this Memorial Day, keep the promise made by President Lincoln, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” So, take a moment to remember those who have fallen in service to our country.

My eternal appreciation to all who have allowed me to tell their stories.

 

‘Brush of Honor’ Paints Picture of Fallen Tampa Pilot

Air Force Academy graduate Capt. James Steel was killed two years ago when his F-16 crashed near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force.

A Tampa F-16 pilot — killed in a crash April 3, 2013 while deployed in Afghanistan — is the focus of a TV series called Brush of Honor which airs tonight at 9 on the INSP Network.

The episode features Air Force Captain James Steel who was born in Tampa while his father, retired Major  Gen. Robert Steel,  flew F-16s at MacDill Air Force Base.

Brush of Honor follows professional artist Phil Taylor as he visits with Steel’s family, friends and colleagues and then paints a portrait of the 29-year old Air Force Academy graduate killed in action. The television show culminates with the special presentation of the portrait to the family.

“When the artist is able to put his heart and soul into the image with every brush,” Robert Steel said, “actually creating the essence of a person, it’s just captivating.”

Taylor has painted more than 180 portraits of America’s fallen heroes and hand-delivered them to surviving family members throughout the country. It’s his way to “honor the sacrifice of our military heroes and offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation.”

You can find the INSP Network channel on your TV by entering your zip code and television provider here.

Airman’s Suicide Spurs Run from Tampa to Key West

Jamie Brunette, an Air Force Reserve captain and Afghanistan War veteran, killed herself in her car February 9, 2015 in Tampa. Photo courtesy of Jamie Brunette Facebook.

Air Force Reserve Captain Jamie Brunette is described by friends as a vivacious athlete with a huge smile who loved people and loved to run.

Malia Spranger, an Air Force Reserve colonel, served with Brunette, was her friend and business partner. They were going to open a fitness center together in March.

But Brunette, an Afghanistan War veteran, took her own life February 9, 2015.

“She was (like) a daughter to my husband and I,” Spranger said. “She is obviously terribly missed by so many people out there.”

Jamie’s “raspy laugh” is what her roommate, Heather Milner, misses most.

“The way I remember Jamie is being super goofy. She was always dancing around and smiling and laughing. Like, every day was always a good day,” Milner said.

Milner was among the dozens of friends, airmen and community members standing outside the main gate at MacDill Air Force Base to honor the war veteran and support “The Run for Jamie.”

Gulf War veteran and former Ranger Alex Estrella holds onto the photo of Jamie at the kick-off ceremony outside MacDill Air Force Base’s main gate for his 405-mile run to Key West.

Alex Estrella after the start of his 405-mile trek to raise awareness about PTSD and veteran suicide. Photo by: Valerie Bogle Photography

The solo run from Tampa to Key West was the idea of former Army Ranger and Gulf War veteran Alex Estrella, 56. Although the Tampa resident never met the promising young airman, Brunette’s suicide inspired him to do the 405-mile run to honor her, raise awareness about veteran suicide and post-traumatic stress.

“For those vets out there that may be suffering or something, speak to someone,” Estrella said just prior to starting his journey May 21, 2015. “Hope is a key word for me and God willing I’m going to finish this run for Jamie.”

Wearing combat boots, a 40-pound rucksack and escorted by Tampa Police volunteers, Estrella left MacDill hoping to make it to Key West in eight days. Within a few miles, the 90 degree temperatures forced him to change into running shoes and shed the rucksack.

Checking in with Estrella at the eight-day mark found him walking alone on Tamiami Trail about to turn south to Homestead just over halfway to his goal.

Hampered by the heat, blisters and cramping muscles, Estrella chuckled when asked if he considered abandoning his quest.

“I have 22 reasons why not to give up and those of course are the 22 vets a day that take their lives,” Estrella said.

Alex Estrella wore combat boots for the first few miles of his run but blisters forced him to switch to running shoes.

According to the Veterans Administration, 22 veterans on average commit suicide every day. And that number only reflects those in the VA system. Those who have never used VA, along with active-duty military, reservists and National Guard are not included.

Despite his first chase vehicle having to turn back and getting only a couple of hours rest each night, Estrella continues.

Midday Thursday, he optimistically estimated that he will reach Key West on Sunday, May 31, 2015.

In addition to honoring Brunette, Estrella also hopes to raise the visibility of two organizations helping veterans, Hope for the Warriors and the Elk Institute for Psychological Health and Performance.

Veterans can get help by calling the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255, go online to chat live or text message to 838255.

A couple dozen friends, airmen and veterans turned out for the start of The Run for Jamie just outside the main gate at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, on May 21, 2015.

Remembering the First Fallen from All-Female Team

1st Lt. Ashley White was a member of the all-female Army Cultural Support Team. She was killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan in October 2011 while supporting a Ranger night mission.
Credit Ashley White Family / Memorial Page

Among those who will be remembered this Memorial Day is 1st Lt. Ashley White, a member of an all-female, all-Army Cultural Support Team attached to a Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan.

White is buried behind her family’s church in Ohio. It’s the same church where she was baptized and where she married Capt. Jason Stumpf six months before she was killed.

The family had the option of burying Ashley at Arlington National Cemetery,

“They wanted to keep her close to home,” said best-selling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. She tells the story of Ashley and her female teammates in her new book: Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield.

“One of the things that always stays for me is the first time I was in Ohio there was a sign in her room written on ripped up notebook paper that said in all block letters ‘YOU ARE MY MOTIVATION’,” Lemmon said. “You realize, it was not this exceptional person’s death that defined her. It was actually her life and the kind of person she was.”

White and two Army Rangers, Sgt. First Class Kris Domeij and Private First Class Christopher Horns, were killed by an improvised explosive device during a night mission in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan October 2011.

One was 29 and on his fourteenth deployment; another was just 20 serving on his first. And one was a National Guard member who answered the call to join a new, all-female, all Army special operations team. – Ashley’s War –

“This story is part of changing the way we see our heroes. And that is really what was so compelling about telling it was it was this team of women who came together and took the call to serve and will be family forever,” Lemmon said.

She writes that the only comfort Ashley’s teammates could find in her death is that she was treated equally, the same as the two Rangers who died alongside. Just like them, a Ranger coin was placed on her casket before departing Afghanistan and her photo was placed on the wall of Ranger fallen.

“Special Operations commanders here in Tampa said these women may have well laid the foundation for ultimate integration,” Lemmon said. “They were out there every single night on these kinds of combat operations that less than 5 percent of U.S. military sees at the tip of the spear while officially women were banned from combat.”

She added that the White family considers that part of their daughter’s legacy is reminding the country of the courage and valor of this team of women who answered that call to serve.

You can read an excerpt from Ashley’s War here.

Author Lemmon also wrote the New York Times best-seller, The Dressmaker Of Khair Khana, which tells the story of a young Afghan entrepreneur whose business created jobs and hope for women during the Taliban years. Lemmon was in Tampa recently to speak to the Women in International Security Florida Chapter.

You can listen to the WUSF News story with Lemmon and the NPR interview from April.

Camp Leatherneck Transfered to Afghan National Army

Marines and sailors with Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan load onto a KC-130 aircraft on the Camp Bastion flightline, Oct. 27, 2014. The Marine Corps ended its mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the day prior and all Marines, sailors and service members from the United Kingdom withdrew from southwestern Afghanistan.

Another chapter in the Afghanistan War closed today as U.S. Marines, sailors and British forces left Helmand Province and transferred Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion to the Afghan National Army 215th Corps.

Regional Command Southwest is the first of the International Security Assistance Force commands to transfer authority to the Afghan national security forces as ISAF moves toward the Resolute Support mission that begins in 2015 according to a Department of Defense news release.

During the past year, Bosnia, Estonia, Denmark, Georgia, Jordan and Tonga ended their operations in Regional Command Southwest.

Words of War Project Looking for Veterans’ Writings

Photo by Jackie Dorr

Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are invited to submit their writings to Words of War – an annual fundraiser that benefits the Headstrong Project, Team Rubicon, Team RWB, and Student Veterans of America.

Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and their family members can submit poetry and prose.

The admissions form does not give a deadline.

However, it states that one writer will be selected by a panel of authors and flown to New York City, all expenses paid, to read their piece at the Words of War fundraiser May 8, 2013.

The selected writer also will have a chance to participate in a Google Hangout discussion about the importance of sharing war stories to document the wartime experience.

Submissions can be sent via this Google Form or by going to http:bit.ly/10fPnJf. Selected submissions will be edited and published in an e-book.

The Words of War event will include veterans’ performances along with celebrities, such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Adam Driver (from HBO’s Girls and the major motion picture Lincoln), and Joanne Tucker of Theater of War. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at 555 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011.

 

Fallen Soldier Escort for Zachary Shannon of Dunedin

The escort motorcade for Army Spc. Zachary Shannon.

The Tampa Bay community honored another of its fallen warriors Monday.

Army Specialist Zachary L. Shannon of Dunedin, died on March 11, 2013 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Spc. Shannon’s remains arrived at MacDill Air Force Base  Monday morning. Members of the MacDill community and Tampa came out along the route to show their support of the family.

The ever faithful Lutz Patriots and Troop Support Alliance gather to honor the fallen warrior along Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa.

The Lutz Patriots and Troop Support Alliance set up in front of The Colonnade Restaurant.  The photos are courtesy of Bruce Hockensmith, head of the Lutz Patriots, and Shelly Vail of Troop Support Alliance.

 

Wishes for a White (Toilet Paper) Christmas from Afghanistan

Dorie Griggs

The following post is written by long-time contributor Dorie Griggs who started writing for Off the Base while her son was still a cadet at the Citadel. She’s a new Army mom and he’s now deployed.

By Dorie Griggs

Never again will I look at toilet paper the same way.

My son sent me a private message on Saturday morning. I had missed his Skype call the day before. He doesn’t contact me often so I wasn’t sure what was up. It turns out the toilet paper I ordered through Amazon.com arrived. I sent 96 rolls, enough for each member of his platoon to have a package. He told me the guys were treating it like gold. They received a number of boxes this past week, but the toilet paper was, “the hit of everything.”

I told my son to let his guys know I’ve got their a$$es covered. I am pretty sure he rolled his eyes when read my comment.

Army Spc. Brittany Gordon Comes Home

Flags are planted along Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard awaiting the Honor Escort of Army Spc. Brittany Gordon who died in Afghanistan, killed by a suicide bomber. Photo courtesy of Shelly Vail.

There is a strong core of Tampa Bay residents who turn out every time an honor escort brings a fallen soldier home.

My special thanks today goes out to Shelly Vail, the Troop Support Alliance and the Lutz Patriots that always gather at the Colonnade Restaurant on Bayshore Boulevard.

They were there before noon Wednesday, planting the flags and waiting for the honor escort from MacDill Air Force Base as it drove north along Tampa’s waterfront promenade. Shelly noted that more than 100 people showed up:

I am so proud!!! We heard from 2 people that EVERYONE inside The Colonnade stood & service members saluted when the Honor Escort for Spc. Brittany Gordon rolled by today. I am also so proud of the military moms & spouses who attended today & stepped up to help support another mom.

Military Puppies of the Week in Afghanistan

U.S. Army Spc. Ahren Blake, a combat medic from Clinton, Iowa, with Company D, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, holds two puppies he found at an observation post in the Aziz Khan Kats Mountain Valley range near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, April 15. The puppies have been living with the Afghan National Army Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 201st Infantry Corps, which man the Ops that 3rd Platoon visited.

My continued appreciation for Kevin Hanrahan and his weekly Military Dog of the week photos.

His photos and stories of the military dogs and their handlers have never failed to bring a smile and an occasionally a tear.

I promise you this week, it is all grins and giggles as you scroll through his photos of tough and ready soldiers care and bond with these fuzzy balls of fur and playfulness.

A small puppy wondered up to U.S. Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion 6th Marines, in Marjah, Afghanistan on *****. After following the Marines numorous miles, a soft hearted Marine picked the puppy up and carried the puppy in his drop pouch. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl Charles T. Mabry II)