At the opening ceremony for The Vietnam Traveling Memorial
Wall set up in Arcadia Florida the guest speaker was the caretaker of the
Traveling Wall. He made a very powerful statement. He spoke about his ten years
of traveling with wall and meeting families of the men and women memorialized
on the wall. He learned about the soldiers from their relatives and friends. He
said he learned that everyone on the wall had a story and it was his job to
tell their stories. He spoke of a mother and father that visited the wall every
time it was close to them. He got to know the soldier through his family. He
started looking forward to seeing this soldier’s parents at the wall. One year,
only the mother came … the soldier’s father had passed away. The next year when
the wall arrived, no one came. The soldier’s mother had passed away also. That
was when he decided, he had to talk about this soldier each time the wall came
to his town, to keep his story alive. The winner of the essay contest echoed
his thoughts, by researching and learning all about a young corporal from DeSoto High School
that perished in Vietnam. She formed a connection with a man she never met. She
will continue to tell his story.
This being said, I want to keep a story alive. I want to
talk about two men. These men were mortally wounded in Tikrit, Iraq in June of
2005. But before that day, these men were just like most of us. They were sons
and husbands. They had jobs, families,
and friends. They believed enough in defending our country that they took the
oath to serve.
Philip Esposito, was born in Bronxville NY in 1974, to his parents Joan and Thomas Esposito. He had a sister. He was an Eagle Scout, an athlete, a high school
graduate, a team captain and a senior class officer. He attended the United
States Military Academy at West Point, and graduated in 1997, entering active
duty Armor officer. He married and had a
daughter. He left active duty in 2000 and joined the NY Army National Guard.
Just like most Guard members, he had a full time civilian job. He was employed
as Project Manager of Solomon Smith Barney. In the Guard he was the company
commander of the 101 CAV. In November of 2004, Phil deployed with the 42nd
Infantry Division HQ as the Company Commander. The majority of the unit was stationed
at FOB Danger in Tikrit, Iraq.
Although I had worked with Phil for several years, I had
never met Louis Allen before he was killed. But I read his wife’s book ‘Front
Toward Enemy’ and learned about him. He was born in 1970. He graduated high
school and enlisted in 1988. Later he separated from the Army and became a husband
and father of four who drove more than an hour each way to Tuxedo High School
where he taught science. In 1999 he decided to re-enlist in the NY Army
National Guard. When the twin towers fell, Lou knew his decision to join the
Gard was the right one. Lou left the 101 CAV to deploy to Iraq and join the 42nd
ID. Allen was the 42nd ID company headquarters as the new operations
officer. He had arrived at the unit just four days before his death. He never had a chance to make the difference he wanted to in Iraq.
The fragging deaths of Phil and Lou occurred on June 7,
2005, at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Danger in Tikrit, Iraq. They were
mortally wounded by a Claymore mine and died. Military investigators determined
that the mine was deliberately placed in the window and detonated to kill anyone
in that room, including Esposito and Allen. A Staff Sergeant from their unit was
charged with two counts of premeditated murder. In 2006, two years before the
trial, the SSG volunteered in a plea bargain to plead guilty to
murder in exchange for a life sentence without parole. The convening authority
rejected the deal. Later in the court martial, the SSG was acquitted in December of 2008.
Soon after his acquittal, the SSG received an honorable discharge from the
military. The U.S. Army has not publicly identified or charged any other suspects
in the killings.
This case is one of only two publicly known alleged fragging
incidents among American forces during the Iraq war and the only one to take
place in Iraq, in contrast to numerous incidents among United States forces
during the Vietnam War of the 1970s.
I want everyone reading this to remember that these two men
killed in war and more than just two casualties. They were brothers, husbands,
sons, fathers and friends. The legacy of their lives will not be measured by their
deaths, but how they lived their lives.
I will continue to share their stories and keep their memories, lives and sacrifice alive.
