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Army commander, Green Berets speak at funeral service
By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Nov 09, 2008
CANTON: Military leaders from the U.S. Army Special Forces Command said goodbye Saturday to one of their own at the funeral for Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey, 22, of Canton.
Sgt. Casey, a 2004 graduate of Timken High School who transferred to Special Forces (Airborne) after serving 15 months in Iraq, was killed in Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan, by a suicide bomber on Oct. 27, just two months before he was scheduled to come home.
Among the several hundred who attended Saturday's somber service at the Canton Baptist Temple was Gen. Michael S. Repass, who was named commander of the Army's Special Forces Command — more than 10,000 soldiers in five active-duty units — in June.
Moments after Sgt. Casey's flag-draped casket was placed into a gleaming gray hearse for the procession to North Lawn Cemetery, Repass spoke about those who, like himself, wear the Green Beret.
''These soldiers are highly committed to the mission and to the defense of our nation. They
believe in it. They believe to their core in what they're doing,'' Repass said.
''When you become a soldier, you commit your life to things greater than yourself. And sometimes that commitment involves losing your life.
''These people understand this. They understand it because of who they are and what they do. It's in the warrior ethos.''
Fellow Green Berets spoke eloquently about Sgt. Casey, reading moving letters from his commanders in the field who described him as ''a quiet, compassionate, dedicated warrior.''
That passage, written by Col. Antonio M. Fletcher, informed those at the service that Sgt. Casey's life ''was cut short by a suicide bomber who successfully penetrated the headquarters compound.''
''When the unthinkable happens, we are often shaken to the core and sometimes even left questioning our purpose,'' Fletcher wrote.
''As I waited in mortuary affairs to receive our fallen comrade, . . . I was confronted and challenged with every aspect of this tragedy. Even though I was raised to believe that the Lord has a plan for each and every one of us, fully understanding the loss of Sgt. Casey escaped me.''
The letter turned next to Sgt. Casey's two children, Nicholas II, 3, and Curtis, 2.
''Why must [they] grow up without a father? Why did a young man who survived 15 months in Iraq . . . die in a secure compound? How can I possibly explain this to his family?
''The sad fact is that I will never find suitable answers to those questions, and my heart breaks for his family and those who may never come to terms with his loss.''
Sgt. Casey's wife of four years, Rachelle, 23, was his high school sweetheart. Dressed in Army green — she enlisted in May and completed boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C., in July — she received her husband's three posthumous medals as the service began.
They were:
• The Bronze Star, awarded for bravery and meritorious service.
• The Purple Heart, awarded to those who are wounded or killed in action.
• The Army Commendation Medal, awarded to those who distinguish themselves by heroism.
Sgt. Casey was an Army intelligence expert at a newly occupied Afghan fire base.
''His proven skills as an interrogator,'' said Army Chaplain Scot McCosh, ''were invaluable to the command and the pursuit of the enemy on over 10 combat operations.''
And when it was time for Sgt. Casey's mother, Deborah Mitchell, to speak, she fought through her tears to describe her son's life from the beginning.
''The Lord gave us all a wonderful gift on July 2, 1986,'' she said of her son's birth. ''But unfortunately, on Oct. 27, 2008, the Lord took that gift back — and that gift was my son, my hero.''
Mitchell said her son was an exceptional athlete who loved soccer, baseball, football and bowling, ''and he could karaoke with the best of them.''
He died ''protecting his country.'' And his life, she said, ''will live on in my heart forever.''
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
CANTON: Military leaders from the U.S. Army Special Forces Command said goodbye Saturday to one of their own at the funeral for Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey, 22, of Canton.
Get the full article here.
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Posted 03:36 AM, 11/09/2008
god bless this family our thoughts and prayers are with you
