Tell their Story, reflections from the Vietnam Taveling Wall, Arcadia FL

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 42^nd 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 42^nd ID. Allen was the 42^nd 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.