Lahaim

     The afternoon of CPL Watkins memorial service was framed by a gunmetal sky. As soldiers gathered in tight knots of grief the pregnant clouds rolled overhead, pushed along by unsteady gusts of wind. The memorial took place on the FOB basketball court, a utilitarian patch of concrete on the edge of a field surrounded by dust and dried mud. The centerpoint was a simple memorial built on a neat stack of sandbags lying in the center of the court.  The memorial included CPL Watkins weapon with bayonet, his Kevlar helmet, his boots, and his dog tags, all flanked by two framed pictures of better and brighter days. To the right of the memorial the American flag and our Battalion colors flapped slowly in the breeze. To the left of the memorial sat CPL Watkins commanders, from squad leader to Battalion Commander, all there to pay their respects. 

     In the minutes leading up to the memorial approached soldiers formed into tight formations and then on command filed into the bleachers and folding seats with oil slick precision. During the memorial CPL Watkins commanders and best friends provided a glimpse into just how great a man we had lost. For those who knew him it was a reminder of how much he had brought to their lives. For those who didn’t know him it was an insight into a man of courage whose humor and warmth lessened the pain of being so far from home. 

     The best words I could craft pale in light of the powerful words our Battalion Commander used in summing up CPL Watkins. I will leave with an excerpt of LTC Tomahawk’s eulogy:

Lahaim.

In the words of his creed I welcome you to this honoring of the life and service of Glenn Watkins. Corporal of Infantry. Late of 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1-184 Infantry Air Assault. Lahaim in Hebrew means to life and this indeed is a fitting welcome. Life, if you know how to use it is long enough. If you do not no amount of time will suffice to make your mortal passage worthy of the glory all real men seek. Glenn Watkins’ life was long enough. He was a father who raised four children to honorable adulthood. The proof of this is how they are using their lives. AAA and JJJ his oldest are currently under arms for this great nation. AAA in the 82nd Airborne Division. JJJ enlisted in the US Navy. LLL his middle child is a new recruit in the Israeli Civil Defense Forces. JJJ his youngest will soon finish high school. Armed with the best examples in life that American culture has to offer. He was a quiet man, but we remember him for his humor. He was Jewish but he loved Christian rock and roll. He was a soldier, but he was no warmonger. He was lowly in rank, but his leadership, bearing, and sacrifice serve as the perfect model for every soldier here gathered today. Glenn lived long enough to do all of this and more. He requited his duties as a man of God, a father, a friend, a leader, a soldier with shining honor. He accomplished his purpose. We loved him. We will always, always honor the life he shared with us and try to emulate it. Because yes, we miss him, because he made us better. Like a beacon. We will use his life to help us navigate through our own.

Comments

[thad lucken]

all the way!!! thank you cpl watkins.

[Pauline Pritchett]

My name is Pauline Pritchett and I am the sister of CPL Glenn Watkins. My and my family's (My mom Pat, dad Bob, brother Jeff,my sons Kevin and Markie) thoughts and prayers go out to all of you in the military and their families. We miss Glenn so very much but know that he died doing what he loved and believed in. We do take comfort knowing that he died with the men he loved and cared for very much.We also consider them family.He was a soldier both in and out of the uniform. He was a fairly quiet man but had a fantastic sense of humor.(He was half Australian after all) When we were all together there was always much laughter and practical jokes. Especially with his nephews. Those of you who knew him could relate. When his tour was over he was planning on moving back to Australia to be with other family and friends.(He loved the beer, meat pies, and beaches) Though we all miss him and feel that loss, through you we feel connected. Thank you for your kind words of love and support.Pauline

[Huntress]

LaHaim, Cpl Watkins, LaHaim!

[Ma Deuce Gunner]

Was CPL Watkins a tall, husky black man? I knew a CPL Watkins when I was in the 81st BDE, and from my understanding, this CPL Watkins was from the 81st. Please let me know. MDG

[Scott]

Thanks for helping to honor one of our fallen countrymen. Some people have an even greater legacy in death than they do in life, and this just may be the case with Cpl Watkins. By his death he just may inspire many more than he did in life. Good to see you post again T6, you were missed. Strength and honor!

[Andi]

Thunder6, thanks for your post on the memorial service for CPL Watkins. What a great man and a wonderful soldier. I will continue to pray for his family, and for all of you who are serving our country so well.

[Mikey]

T6 thanks for posting again. There are other good milblogs but yours reads like poetry. I guess the era of the warrior poet lives on.

[Subsunk]

Dear Thunder and Members of the US Army, We grieve for you and for Corporal Watkins with a heart filled with sorrow for his death, joy for his leadership and outstanding example, and with recognition that he was a Man better by far than most of us. His story is inspiring and will urge many of us to live better lives in service to our country and to our fellow man. You have all made us proud for the way you conduct yourselves while in harm's way, and in a hostile environment. I hope that Corporal Watkins will be granted peace and freedom in Paradise, and that his sacrifice will ensure that you who are left behind will come home safely and peacefully, with the satisfaction that your mission is completed, your job is well done, and that he saved lives through his leadership and example. He has not died in vain. We wish the best possible future for his family and especially his children. His family has obviously dedicated more than their measure to the service of their country, and while we are eternally grateful to them for this sacrifice, we can never repay them for so costly a loss. God bless them, and extend His hand over all of you. Strike the tent. Press onward. To Victory. Subsunk

[Mister Jinxy]

Soldier who stayed behind in Iraq is killed By MIKE BARBER The Seattle Post IntelligencerInstead of coming home last month when the Washington National Guard's 81st Brigade Combat Team finished a year in Iraq, Cpl. Glenn James Watkins volunteered to stay behind.At 42, he was a bit long in the tooth for a corporal. Watkins, of Tacoma, a carpenter and construction worker in civilian life, served in the regular Navy and Army before transferring back and forth between the California and Washington National Guards over the last decade. In Iraq, when he learned that his old unit from California, Company A, 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, was among those replacing the Washington Guard, he took the chance to return to it. It was fatal decision. Watkins died Tuesday in Baghdad, succumbing to wounds he suffered when a car bomb exploded next to the Humvee he was riding in. He became the 10th member of the state National Guard to die in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion, and the 87th member of the military with strong local connections to die there. In all, 92 members of the military with links to this state have been killed in Afghanistan or Iraq since military operations there began. Watkins left behind a wife, Ann, in Tacoma, and four kids, three of them living with their mother; a fourth is serving with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. Watkins' father, Robert, lives in Elk Grove, Calif., and his mother, Patricia, in Silverdale. He also is survived by a brother in Baltimore and a sister in Port Orchard. Members of Watkins' family declined comment or could not be reached yesterday. Web logs, however, were lit up with remembrances from some of the soldiers he served with. One said: "Yesterday my battalion suffered its first combat death. KIA. Killed In Action Dead. He was a corporal in Alpha Company, a gunner on his truck. He was killed by a VBIED (vehicle-based improvised explosive device) while standing up in the turret, scanning a grove of date palms for danger. Four of his comrades were wounded, all had shrapnel wounds to the legs and lower bodies. A medic on the CPL's vehicle treated the wounded despite a broken leg. I didn't know the man, yet, I feel his loss. Rest in peace." Another from "Maj. K," who said he was Watkins' battalion commander, described the scene in which Watkins died: "I do not blame his death on Donald Rumsfeld or the amount of armor plating that his guntruck had. I blame the cowards that planted the bomb. The amount of explosives that was used was sufficient to kill him regardless of the level of armor," the note on the "strength and honor" Web site said. "One of the men that was wounded was a medic. Somehow, with two broken ankles from the force of the blast, he crawled to Cpl. Watkins (and) was trying to bring him back with CPR while badly wounded himself. I always knew Doc K. was good people. We are now preparing for his memorial and trying to find the cowards that did this," the note from Maj. K said. "As the head of intelligence for the battalion, I feel like I have failed them," the message said. "I will not fail to find the perpetrators this time. So my attention remains on the job. I have no time for bickering right now about what the right course of action was two years ago. Cpl. Watkins knew why we were here, well enough to stay on for another year. The right course of action now is payback," Maj. K said. Washington National Guard officials said Watkins was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, on March 4, 1963. His military career began in 1981 with four years in the Navy. After serving briefly in the Naval Reserve, he joined the Army for three years of active duty. After leaving the Army, Watkins served a few years with Port Orchard's Company C, 303rd Armor Regiment, then moved to California. There he signed on with Company A of the 184th Infantry in Compton, the one with which he was again serving when he was killed. Watkins remained with the 184th until November 2003, when he returned to Washington and rejoined the 81st Brigade's Company B, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment based in Kent. Watkins rejoined the unit just as it was mobilized for duty in Iraq, leaving for a year's deployment in March 2004. California's 184th Infantry Regiment, with which Watkins volunteered to serve, is part of the Hawaiian National Guard's 29th Infantry Division that replaced Washington's guard unit. Watkins was one of about 70 members of Washington's 81st Brigade who volunteered to remain in Iraq, Guard officials said.

[Chris]

Thank you for sharing this with us. Take Care and God Bless

[Cheryl]

What a man. I thank God he had the impact he did on so many, and his children. I have been blessed to have met him through your words. Thank you. Cheryl

[David]

Like a beacon he will lead us to live a greater life. If there was any doubt as to the intelligence and bravery of our Soldiers, Cpl Watkins laid them to rest when he gave his all. It seems obvious to me that Cpl. Watkins was never afraid to do the right thing even when doing so was difficult. LTC "Tomahawk" has it wrong tho...Cpl Watkins was not lowly in rank for he was an American Fighting Man, one of the few that could stand up honorably and give freely of himself, so that we might live in peace. David

[Kelley]

Amen.... may he rest in peace and may his family and friends know the impact his life has had upon us all........ good to see you write again Capt B....

[Carl Blyth, Sr.]

Dear Captain Thunder, The Torah tells us that God made this world and actively keeps it going. Every person is given a life in which God keeps the records and within each life there is an unchangeable span that marks birth and death. Everyone is alloted by God a time, and if we seek dilligently to do God's will in that span of time, the memories of the life we have spent here will be memories that will live in the hearts of those we have served or led. CPL Watkins is one of those who has not only done his job, and done it well, but one who has gone the extra mile. He will be remembered by family and friend alike. I wish that I had known him in life as I now see him in death.