from his Facebook
page
A 22-year-old man from Evergreen Park was among
seven soldiers killed by a single roadside bomb this week in
Army Spc. Jared Stanker died Tuesday of
injuries suffered when the improvised explosive device hit the soldiers'
vehicle in the
His father, Kevin Stanker, said he and Stanker's
mother were on hand to receive their son's body at
According to military records, Stanker's brigade
was sent to
Evergreen Park Mayor James Sexton said Stanker was
the first soldier from the community killed in
"We're all saddened by his death, and the
All the soldiers killed in Tuesday's explosion were
assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade
Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division,
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/10/first-evergreen-park-soldier-killed-in-afghanistan.html
Just three weeks ago, Susan Stanker spoke to her
22-year-old son, Jared, for the first time since his July deployment to
"He said, 'We need help over here. There
aren't enough troops,'" she said Thursday evening. "I was so worried
about him and he told me 'Don't watch the news, don't read the papers, don't
focus on that, Mom. People come home.'"
However, Army Spc. Jared Stanker, a 2006 Brother
Rice High School alum, was one of seven soldiers who died Tuesday in Arghandab
Valley, Afghanistan, after enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an
improvised explosive device, according to the U.S. Defense Department.
The troops were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th
Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out
of
"He told me it was just so horrible for the women
and children there. But they have a right to life, too," Susan Stanker
said. "This is what he wanted to do. He believed in what he was
doing."
He is survived by his parents and sister, Jordan
Brandl, 29. The family recently sent out a box of goodies to mark Stanker's
22nd birthday on Oct. 13.
"He was there to help," his father,
Kevin, said.
Stanker enlisted the day before his 18th birthday -
while his mother was out of town and shortly after graduating from Brother Rice.
He completed basic training in
Army Spc. Jared Stanker talks with
his mother, Susan Stanker, during Jared’s graduation from basic training in
Fort Benning,
All his life, Stanker was fascinated by the
military and would spent hours watching films about war, his mother said.
"All that kid did when he was little was watch
'Kelly's Heroes' over and over and over, and that's a four-hour movie,"
she said.
Among his awards and decorations are the National
Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph
is for good men to do nothing," Stanker posted on a prominent spot of his
Facebook page.
His girlfriend, Abbey Oman, maintained a Facebook
page called Southside Supporting Troops, where she kept tabs on Stanker's unit,
including how many were killed and wounded.
After she got word Tuesday of the explosion, she
pleaded with him to contact her and posted, "If you see this, please CALL
OUT baby!!!!! I love you!" on his Facebook wall.
Thursday evening,
"We've lost all our friends (to war),"
The couple knew each other their entire lives and
hoped to marry someday, Susan Stanker said.
"It shatters everyone's dreams," she
said.
Evergreen Park Mayor
"Everybody here is praying for his family and for
the rest of the troops out there keeping us safe," Sexton said.
On Tuesday, two separate bomb attacks in Southern
Afghanistan killed eight American troops, making October the deadliest month
for
Stanker was patrolling in an armored vehicle,
The eighth American was killed Tuesday in a
separate bombing elsewhere in the south, also while patrolling in a military
vehicle, Vician said.
The military issued a statement saying the deaths
occurred during "multiple, complex" bomb strikes. It said several
troops were wounded and evacuated to a nearby medical facility but gave no
other details.
Stanker and the other soldiers killed Tuesday were
among 18 Americans whose remains were saluted by President Barack Obama during
a dignified transfer ceremony early Thursday at
The other 10, including three Drug Enforcement
Administration agents, were killed Monday when a
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1854771,103009soldier.article
from his Facebook
page
Posted
to the
Jared Stanker forum of the PGR website:
Thank you to all in The Patriot Guard. I pass this
along as Jared's Uncle Bob. (Bob1950) To everyone. Spc. Jared Stanker, killed
in action is
President Obama attended the Dignified Transfer of
Spc. Jared D. Stanker in the early morning hours of Thursday, October 29, 2009
at Dover AFB,
Kevin then turned towards me and introduced me to
the President as Jared’s Uncle Bob. Once again the President extended his hand
to shake my hand and he likewise expressed the condolences and appreciation of
Jared’s sacrifice. I shook the President’s hand and simultaneously reached out
with my left hand and took hold of his right forearm. I accepted and said thank
you to the President for his expression of condolences. I continued to hold his
hand in a handshake and continued holding his right forearm with my left hand
for the following discussion. As I can best remember, this is what I said:
With all due respect, Mr.
President, I feel that you should support our troops in
At
this point I felt that the President thought that the conversation was over.
However, I continued holding his right hand and his right forearm. I responded
with this simple question. “When will that decision be made?” President Obama
responded by stating that “that decision will be made in the near future based
on wise considerations.” I simply responded by stating “You’ve had ten months.”
At which time I broke the handshake that I had maintained throughout this brief
conversation and released his right forearm. Both of which I had maintained
throughout this entire conversation. The President then went on to the next
family.
I
also heard a radio interview on WLS radio this morning. ABC had interviewed the
mother of Sgt. Dale Griffin of
This
is the President’s “Vietnam
moment”.
from his Facebook
page
A 2006 graduate of
Army Spc. Jared Stanker, 22, died Tuesday after
enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device,
according to the
Stanker's
visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 4727 W.
103rd St.,
Funeral
services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Queen of
Stanker spoke to his mother, Susan Stanker, by
telephone three weeks before the attack. Stanker
told his mother more troops were needed in Afghanistan. He left for his
tour of duty in July.
He is survived by his parents and sister, Jordan
Brandl, 29. The family recently sent out a box of goodies to mark Stanker's
22nd birthday on Oct. 13.
"He was there to help," said his father,
Kevin.
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1859206,110209soldier.article
As friends and family continue mourning the death
of
Stanker, below, of Evergreen Park, was one of seven
soldiers killed last week in Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan, after enemy forces
attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
His visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Friday at
Blake-Lamb Funeral Home,
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Queen of
Let
us ALL gather with at 9 am Saturday with our families, friends, and neighbors
along
This
would be a great way to show our support, and please remember to keep Jared,
his family, and all our military personnel and veterans in your thought and
prayers.
http://blogs.southtownstar.com/oaklawn/2009/11/a_show_of_support.html
Friday: “F
H” on the map below marks the location of the Funeral Home, stage at 1300
Saturday:
“Ch” on the map below marks the location of the Church, stage at 0845
Arrival escort:
Escort
from Midway home to
(3000
showing respect and 51 PGRiders.)
Jared’s
remains were landed at Midway and were escorted to
from his Facebook page
Visitation:
One
week after 9/11 the Christian
Science Monitor published:
On Sunday,
September 16, 2001, Bush warned Americans that "this crusade, this war on
terrorism, is going to take awhile." He and other
His use
of the word "crusade," said Soheib Bensheikh, Grand Mufti of the
mosque in
Bush
sought to calm American Muslims' fears of a backlash against them on Monday by
appearing at an Islamic center in
I
stopped at Jared’s high school on the way to staging. Their team is called the Crusaders. I wonder what the Grand Mufti thinks about
that.
It
was windy. I had to hold onto the flagpole
with both hands.
I was
glad to meet Uncle Bob (see photo directly below (he is shown talking to me)
and see comments “posted to the Jared Stanker forum of the PGR website” above)
and he told me they had only 20 minutes of notice before they met the
Commander-in-Chief, but that that was plenty of time to formulate his
message. He was quoted again in the
story related to the photo of us, as was our Ride Captain, saying
"Some vets, like myself, are still reeling from how we were treated when
we returned some 30 years ago, others have their own reasons. The bottom line
is, it's just the right thing to do."
photo from SouthtownStar
.
The 2nd
ID insignia ia an Indian head inside a star.
Jared was 2nd Infantry Division. So is Wally.
You can see the insignia on his cover.
He and his wife attend many PGR missions. Wally was fighting in
Cindy
is a Soldiers’ Angel and angelic generally.
Not
as angelic, but Godly.
And
then it got dark and I went home.
Funeral:
Before
I returned I read in the paper where Fred, our Ride Captain, had said the day
before, “Some vets, like myself, are still reeling from how we were treated
when we returned some 30 years ago…”
I was
to stage at the funeral home because Fred wanted the 5 by 8 flag on my bike to
be part of the small escort. Most of us
would stage at the church. So I stopped
at the church to see what was there.
Fred was there.
Then
this woman stopped to ask me questions.
It
seems her husband was an active Marine for 31 years – another Korean War
veteran. She wanted to find a good
location where he could stand as the funeral procession passed without having
to walk far. We conversed and she told
me about the homecoming her family had returning from
These
stories have become cliché. I was
recently told, “Well, that’s what they say.”
How do you respond to that?
She was holding her two year-old daughter when her
daughter was spat upon. She told me her daughter remembers the
incident, while I’m not sure I even remember this nice woman’s name.
I
hope she will correct me if I’m got her name wrong:
Sorry about that homecoming, Mrs.
Floyd.
Thank you for your service COL Jerry
Floyd.
Then
I went on to the parking lot across 103rd from the funeral home.
Tim
Haggarty was crossing 103rd with his two boys.
Anyone
who is fixin’ to do some flag wavin’ is welcome among us.
This
was the happy time. We have not yet
begun our somber work and we could still bask in the flags and the sun.
It
was festive. Bright and colorful. The smile on the left belongs to a Cub Scout
leader. The smile on the right belongs
to an army mom.
But,
of course, we all knew why we had gathered.
When the time came, we would put on our game faces.
It
was hard not to think about Jared.
I was
walking back and forth, looking for photo opportunities. I didn’t need a watch – the hearse was parked
across the street. When I saw activity
there, I would know the time.
Bikes
rolled past the funeral home, eastward toward the church. One after another after another. The PGRiders knew the spectacle we would
create but the family probably did not.
That thought pleased me more and more as more bikes passed.
I was
a Boy Scout 45 years ago, so when I became a Cub Scout leader one year ago I
was glad to have that familiar khaki shirt again. And for some reason I am glad to see it on
other people.
…or
whatever the uniform of the day would be.
As
the bikes kept rolling in, so did the people keep walking in.
Most
had probably purchased a flag of the occasion.
Some
took the flag down from their home or flagpole.
Windy
103rd was awash with Old Glory.
Then
two soldiers took places facing the funeral home doors. Soon cops and PGRiders had crossed the street
and lined-up behind them.
The police
cars, the PGR bikes, Jared and the family paraded down 103rd. The 4-lane street had been closed. The many neighbors had lined both sides with
their flags. It was almost incongruous –
a Fourth of July parade without the cheering.
As we
approached the church, the crowd became more dense but just as quiet. Then the procession moved between two columns
of PGR bikes with the dismounted riders in salute and the neighbors crowding-in
from behind. It was made a wonderful
feeling.
How
did that one flag get so high up over the soldiers?
The
pole was too short to rest on the ground so he did it the way Big Joe does it.
Get
this kid some black leather. Clearly he
is one of us.
The army
detail stood in front of the church waiting for the hearse. The PGRiders formed two ranks facing the
soldiers.
The
Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts had the front positions along the walk to the doors
of the church.
Marshmallows
over a campfire were for another day.
This is exactly what these scouts should have been doing this morning.
Scouts
have many flag ceremonies, but it is important for them to know that they are
not just for kids. It is important for
them to realize that nearly every American adult knows the Pledge of Allegiance
and takes it seriously.
And
then Jared was moved inside, under the protection of the church. Most of us remained outside, under the
protection of the flag.
22
months before an IED in
Exactly
one week after Jared’s funeral, we will bury Michael
Pearson at
This
is Police Chief Michael Saunders and Deputy Police Chief Dennis Odowd. They are the guys who shoot back if Evil
visits
Five
feet tall, Civilian
Police Sergeant Kimberly Munley was wounded three times in the arm and legs
and barely survived the blood loss. She
is the one who ended the Fort hood shooting.
“She walked up and engaged him.
If you act aggressively to take out a shooter, you will have less
fatalities.”
So
says Lieutenant General Robert Cone, base commander. And apparently Sergeant Munley understood
that. Hours after the shooting she said
that she wished she could have acted even faster and saved more lives. Cops must be warriors at heart: She didn’t wait for back-up. She walked toward the gunfire and was struck
repeatedly. But she kept shooting until
she was no longer being shot at. And
that is how she saved lives.
Kimberly
Munley trained on “active
shooter” scenarios after the 2007 shooting at
The
Catholic Church in Rantoul features a
tribute to heroes that reads, “Memorial to all the men and women of this
community who have laid down their lives for the love of their country.” The monument at the Catholic Church in
The
festive feeling did not return. I
usually go into the church during the service, at least for a while. I didn’t this time.
And
then we lined-up again.
Major
General Scott West took this time to award a challenge coin to a 2nd
ID soldier. General West wears the 82nd
insignia now but earlier in his career he held a staff position with the 2nd
ID.
There
is the Indian head on the star, same as on Wally’s cap.
And
then the army brought Jared out of the church.
We traveled in procession the 5 miles to the
We
formed our Circle of Comfort. The army
performed.
The
institution of the
Staff
Sergeant Matt Frederick rendered Taps slowly and beautifully. With so many WWII guys dying each day, the
army authorized use of a player that looks
like a bugle. You just switch it on
and then pretend. (Be sure to check the
batteries ahead of time.)
Infantrymen
are not button-pushers. Infantrymen
throw their whole selves into their work.
Infantrymen have earned true buglers.
It is a shame there are not enough Matt Fredericks to go around.
And
then it was done. Jared had given his
last full measure of devotion. His army,
his church and his neighbors had honored him.
The Circle of Comfort melted away.
A few of us indulged in the great pleasure of shaking a few soldier’s
hands.
General
West had been everywhere these two days.
His eyes were constantly alert.
If a thought crossed your mind, he read it in your face from across the room
and came over to ask you about it.
So I
watched him as he slowly moved toward his car.
The
soldiers who walk toward the fire are ordered forward by men like Scott
West. It is absolutely necessary that
such officers be devoted to their country and their culture. They must be compassionate and still
decisive. And they must be moral.
To
lead fine men they must be fine men. And
they must be leaders.
The current rumor
is that the Commander-in-Chief will increase our troop level in
I
left the big flag up for the trip home, as I do. I took
Tomorrow
and through Veterans Day they would remain at half-staff for the
photography: visit
back to ALL MISSIONS
Two
U.S. Secret Service armored vehicles used to protect Vice President Biden
struck and killed a pedestrian in Temple Hills early Wednesday morning,
authorities said.
The
vehicles were traveling together from Andrews Air Force Base at about 2:30 a.m.
when the pedestrian was hit at the intersection of
The
drivers stayed on the scene and rendered first aid until police and rescue
officials arrived, said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.
The
pedestrian, an adult male, was transported to
The
armored sport utility vehicle and limousine were occupied only by Secret
Service employees and were not carrying the vice president or any other
dignitaries, said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.
The
vehicles, part of a fleet used to protect the vice president, were used to
whisk Biden during his trip to
Biden
returned to Andrews much earlier and was already at his residence at the U.S.
Naval Observatory in
Police
have not released the pedestrian's identity pending notification of family.
Park Police were still investigating the incident and had not determined a
cause.
On
New Year’s Eve, Michael Yon reports from the 1/17 IR that Jared is remembered:
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/into-thine-hand-i-commit-my-spirit.htm
Third Footnote:
Seven
months later, another Brother Rice graduate and fellow soldier would die just a
seven-mile drive away. Thomas Wortham preceded Jared in school by 8 years.