Godspeed

    Tonight our battalion huddled together under a boiling wind and said goodbye to Arnold Duplantier II, a team leader in Charlie “Rock” Company.  SGT Duplantier was a man that effortlessly earned the respect of his commanders and his soldiers. A tireless soldier, a faithful friend, a caring leader, a loving husband, and a proud father. 

     After the national anthem and invocation the Battalion Commander, LTC Tomahawk, came forward and offered a final memorial:

     Let us turn our thoughts today to Arnold Duplantier. Sergeant of Infantry.  And recognize that there are bonds between us, and all God’s soldiers fighting in this ancient land. Ties of hope and love, brotherhood and blood. And we are bound together in a desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and proud. We are bound together by the tests that stand behind us and the road that lies ahead. We are bound. And we are bound.  The essential elements of nature are earth, water, wind and fire. I saw in Dupe these elements so balanced and perfectly blended that I could find no fault in that sweet, brave and honorable man. These fundamental forces so combined in him as to make the world stand on end and say “Behold, there walks a soldier”. Chief among the elements of nature is earth.  And the soul of the earth is rock., survivor of the cosmic explosion that shaped all things. The rock endures. The waters break upon it but cannot drown it.  Fire can rage about it but cannot consume it. The wind encompasses it, it howls about it in its fury but cannot move it. A rifle company is a beautiful thing, and if ever there was an example of such a thing it is Charlie Rock. Like unto the rock of ages it stands silent, strong, wonderful and proud. How fitting, how perfectly acceptable that Dupe would find his home in Charlie Company. Adding his strength to theirs.  Strength on strength.  Bearing the fair burden of combat. Like the rock bearing the next storm, the next fire, the next flood. My heart is full, my mind at ease.  For I walk with the rock. They inspire me, they provide me my constancy and purpose. Dupe was the human incarnation of all the goodness of Charlie Rock.  What remains for  a family of men bereft of a brother like that. Only the will.  The will to persevere.  To endure.  To strive and never to yield. Like the granite mountains that form the backbone of our cherished homeland. Nothing in nature is created.  Nor is it destroyed.  It mysteriously recombines… and presents itself again to existence as earth, wind, water and fire.

     The Battalion Commander was followed by SGT Duplantier’s chain of command, each offering their own memories of our fallen hero. By time they finished the assembly was a sea of subtle motion as calloused hands wiped away bitter tears. And then the ceremony was over, and the Nightstalkers waited in a long, silent line to offer one last salute to a fallen friend.

     It breaks my heart to think of SGT Duplantier’s family - I know that the sorrow we feel is a drop compared to the yawning ocean of loss they must feel.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Comments

[Wild Thing]

There IS a bond between you all, one that is not broken ever.Prayers are with you, and the family of SGT Duplantier.

[Josette]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with all of us. Tanya read it at his funeral and it was touching. Arnold has been my brother Rob's best friend for as long as I can remember yet we both find is so difficult to put into words how we felt about him. We want to thank all of you for doing what you do everyday. You are all brave and admirable individuals providing freedom for people you don't even know. Arnold talked often of all of you he served with and had respect and love for all of you. As we morn the loss of one of our closest friends we also pray for the safe return of all of you.. He wouldn't want it any other way.

[Casey]

I had the honor of growing up with Arnie Jr. I met him when he was 12 and I was 14, and from that point he became my only male best friend. Even though he was 2 years and 7 days younger than me, he was always my big brother, he always watched out for me. I will never forget the summer long Monopoly games, "borrowing" my dads car, the barbeques, fried bologna sandwiches, but most of all I will never forget you.

[YankeePaPa13]

..Something borrowed from Hurl's Blog..Accomplishments in Iraq since US Forces have been involved..Posted by Olga: Here is some data about reconstruction efforts in Iraq: A Year of Sovereignty Accomplishments ... Compiled by Multi-National Force - Iraq Strategic Communications Reconstruction • On the date of the Transfer of Sovereignty, June 28, 2004 , approximately 200 reconstruction projects had been started. Since then that total has increased to over 2,500 projects with an associated value of $5.7 billion. During the same period, more than 1,300 projects valued at over $1.3 billion have been completed. In one year over 2,300 construction projects started with an average of 155,000 Iraqi workers facilitating the reconstruction. • Generation plants are being built and transmission lines are being constructed to replace the decades-old, neglected electrical power system. A total of over 2,000 megawatts of power have been added to the grid, which is enough to service 5.4 million Iraqi homes. Over 1,400 electrical towers and 8,600 kilometers of transmission lines have been installed. The management and control of the distribution network continues to improve after over 35 years of neglect under the old regime. $4.3 billion has been allocated from the supplemental appropriation for system improvements. The World Bank estimates the total necessary to be $12.1 billion. • Electrical generation facilities have been improperly operated and maintained for years. The industry has suffered from a lack of training and shortage of spare parts. This has not only plagued older facilities but has had an impact on new facilities recently brought on line. To counter this skill shortage, training programs similar to one developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Ministry of Electricity will develop qualified managers and operators that understand the state-of-the-art facility operations and management. Eighty-three recent senior staff graduates have returned to Iraq from Jordan and have been tagged by the MOE to be used as “tiger teams,” which will be regionally based and act as roving specialists to assist any power plant that has a problem or is operating as sub-standard megawatt (MW) levels. • In the electricity sector, over 1,400 electrical towers have been erected to carry high-voltage power lines. Over 8,600 km of high-tension electrical cable have been installed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District, USAID and the MOE have increased power generation capability by over 2,000 MW. In addition, the sum of potential new generation projects is projected at 1,022 MW. • In the electricity sector there are many projects remaining that will improve the transmission and distribution capability of the Iraqi power grid. There are 384 transmission and distribution projects planned for Iraq ; 76 are presently under construction and 41 are completed. • After a significant drop, the average daily load of electricity has bounced back to 92,467 MW hours, comparable to the level when the transfer of power occurred. Fifty-eight electricity projects have been completed, and more than 100 are still in the works. • Oil production has dropped by .32 million barrels per day since the transfer of power, but exports have grown by about the same margin; 16 oil projects have been completed. • Sixty-five water treatment projects have been completed, with almost 100 still in progress; 21 sewer projects are complete, with 15 still working. • Health care services are growing: 750 people passed their maternal and child health services training on to more than 2,000 primary healthcare providers. Additionally, 140 health care facilities have been completed and one hospital is under construction. • Since the transfer of power, more than 3,000 schools have been rehabilitated. • The Iraq Reconstruction Management Office has completed 79 transportation projects since Iraq became a sovereign country. • In April 2004, only 15 percent of Iraqis surveyed said they got enough electricity to meet their needs, while 85 percent said they did not; in April 2005, 22 percent said they got enough to meet their needs, while only 59 percent said they did not. • In April 2004, only 30 percent of Iraqis surveyed said they got enough water to meet their needs, while 61 percent said they did not; in April 2005, 45 percent said they got enough to meet their needs, while 42 percent said they did not. • The number of Iraqi households connected to sewer has risen 3 percent since the transfer of power. Economy • The Ministry of Agriculture has approved a national program to identify and map areas of the country best suited to particular types of crops. This type of analysis is known as agro-ecological characterization and will lead to the preparation of land suitability maps for major crops in Iraq . The project will apply modern concepts of agro-ecological zoning for resources planning and management with an underlying goal to increase agricultural productivity, improve food security, preserve natural resources and contribute to enhanced prosperity for the whole population. All Iraqi farmers and livestock producers will benefit from the data generated by the project to assess production priorities and manage scarce resources. • Commerce has sprung up in the past year: 26,785 new businesses have been registered. • The Trade Bank of Iraq has issued Iraq 's first credit/debit cards. Governance • Reestablished joint committees with Jordan , Egypt , Syria , Lebanon , Kuwait , Turkey , Russia , Romania , Poland and other countries. • Established 16 governorate councils, 78 district councils, 192 city or sub-district councils, and 392 neighborhood councils, allowing more than 19 million people to engage in local policy discourse. • In May, provincial governance is progressing with all 18 provincial councils have met, and 17 of 18 provincial councils have elected governors. • A two-day “Iraq Constitution Roundtable” sponsored by Non-Governmental Organizations was held at an Amman-area hotel February 14-15. Approximately 20 Iraqis, including prominent behind-the-scenes political figures, representing most strands of Iraqi political opinion attended the conference, which focused almost entirely on discussion of modalities for drafting Iraq 's new constitution. Despite sometimes heated discussion, Iraqi and NGO sources unanimously praised the event as a valuable opportunity to exchange views and “meet each other face-to-face.” • Fallujah residents established a new city council May 17 with provincial council oversight and approval. Local groups selected 20 city leaders from various constituencies, such as tribal leaders, imams, businessmen, educators and engineers. • Established more than 660 community associations in 16 governorates as part of a campaign targeting grassroots democracy. • Despite early predictions that it would be too dangerous, about 8.5 million Iraqis – 58 percent of eligible voters – came out to vote Jan. 30. • A Council of Ministries formed: in May; the 36-member cabinet included 16 Shia Arabs, nine Sunni Kurds, eight Sunni Arabs, one Shia Turkman, one Shia Fayli Kurd, one Cahldo-Assyrian and seven women counting the unfilled positions. • Confidence among Iraqis in their national government has risen slightly since the transfer of power last June when 68 percent were confident and 16 percent were not confident; in April 2005, 72 percent were confident, with 19 percent expressing that they weren't confident; however, confidence in the ministries themselves has dropped slightly, from 63 percent to 59 percent. • In June 2004, 51 percent of Iraqis surveyed said their country was headed in the right direction, while 39 percent said it was headed in the wrong direction. One year later, 67 percent said their country was headed in the right direction, while only 20 percent said it was headed in the wrong direction. Security • The Iraqi Navy now sports five 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment. The country's Air Force has three operational squadrons equipped with nine reconnaissance aircraft and three U.S. C-130 transport aircraft. And Iraq 's special operations forces include a counterterrorist force and a commando battalion. • Iraq 's Coastal Defense Force is now operational, with five patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels, and a naval infantry regiment that recently completed training. Iraq 's Air Force has two operational squadrons equipped with nine reconnaissance aircraft that operate during the day and at night. Two more squadrons, one comprised of three U.S.-gifted C-130E aircraft and one comprised of two UH-1 helicopters (to be followed by 14 more UH-1s and by four Bell Jet Ranger helicopters), recently stood up in mid-January. • On Sept. 29, 2004 , Iraqi and Syrian intelligence and military representatives, with a U.S. Coalition Forces delegation, reached agreement at Syrian Military Intelligence's headquarters in Damascus on key issues relating to security of the Iraq-Syrian border. • More than 125,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained and equipped since the transfer of power. • Security projects completed include 61 port of entry or border facilities, 82 police stations, 17 academies and branch schools, 96 unit headquarters and 19 fire stations. • Confidence in the Iraqi Army has remained constant at 77 percent over the past year; however, confidence in the Iraqi Security Police has dropped 10 points to 79 percent. Other accomplishments • Considerable progress has been made in the field of education: 860 secondary school master trainers were trained and passed on training to 31,772 secondary school educators nationwide. More than 8.7 million revised math and science books have been printed, which no longer mention Saddam Hussein. • Although 82 percent of Iraqis surveyed said their family could get the education it needs at the time Iraq became sovereign, one year later, only 62 percent expressed the same feeling. • Healthcare spending is up more than 30 times its prewar levels; more than 3 million children have received life-saving vaccinations. • Iraqi confidence in the health system has dropped: while 62 percent of Iraqis surveyed in April 2004 said their family could get needed medication, only 35 percent felt that way a year later. • On Sept. 4, 2004 , Iraq 's Ministry of Health initiated the first polio immunization program in the country since March 2003 in an effort to protect 4.7 million children from the infectious disease. With support from the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization and the European Union, which contributed over $2.5 million, the Iraqi authorities succeeded in immunizing the vast majority of children in the first three days of the campaign, UNICEF said. A total of 25 million doses of vaccine were purchased with help from a $3.2 million grant from USAID. • Since the transfer of power, the number of landline communications subscribers has risen from 794,198 to 997,675; Internet subscribers have more than doubled; and cell phone subscribers have jumped from just 488,966 to almost 2.5 million. Posted by: olga | June 28, 2005 07:28 PM

[YankeePaPa13]

..This is a Poll set up by the Washington Post and ABC that came out this morning..I know it can't even begin to express the deep sorrow one feels for loosing a close friend..but the idea that his life and sacrifice has meaning knowing that the majority of American people respect and support what you are all doing..Thank each and every one of you..Semper Fi.. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8380390/

[e1]

i don't think i've commented here before, but i have been reading for months. i have the utmost admiration for your mission. your eloquence just makes things that much closer and easier to see. i wish more people back here took the time to try to understand, even in this infinitesimal way what it's really like for you all. my heart goes out to you and your men. i know you will take care of each other. we had a BCT just return, and another soon to leave, and so stories like this are poignant. i hope you stay safe. i will be thinking of you, T6. {{it's a week late, but happy birthday, also, yours is the day before my sister's}}

[membrain]

Godspeed SGT Duplantier II. LTC Tomahawk's words were so eloquent and moving. Thanks for everything and may God be with you all in your hour of need.

[devildog6771]

"Well Into the Night" They gave their lives in defense of their country,never once faltering at their tasks. Heroes in every sense of the word, these brave souls have done as we asked. They gathered their gear and went to the front, young men and women with fear on their faces, Soldiers with courage in their hearts, they set to their task, they began the hunt! Through desert sand in a hot unfriendly land, they marched to the cadance of soldiers past. They fought our enemy, one by one,outgunned, outmanned, they fought to the last. Noone can say that these brave soldiers, young men and women fron all walks of life, didn't do their duty as they had been taught, with courage, honor, dignity, and pride, they met the challange of war, head on, they marched into the midle of the strife. But not all our soldiers died on the battlefield as we know it, some were taken by thieves in the night. These thieves came, as cowards do, in the shadows of darkness. They came and took our innocent friends and families, and yes, our troops, not as honorable soldiers answering the call of their God and country; but as crazed, angry men with hate in their hearts, seekers of power, position, and personal agendas. They owe allegiance to noone, including the God they profess to follow; Though their war was begun many years ago, they escalated their campaign one morning in September. They blend into the crowds like a second skin, suicide bombers, young and old; misguided murderers who like to pretend, they fight for freedom and Religion. They put bombs on trains and under cars, they strap them to women and children; noone is safe from their depraved behavior, they ram our troops cars from behind, attack randomly from the shadows, all in the name of their holy Savior. Yet through it all, with heads held high, and pride in their hearts, our soldiers continue to rally and fight; As one comrad falls, and another steps forward, they continue the fight,well into the night! devildog6771

[Carl Blyth, Sr.]

The life of a good man is written on the hearts and minds of those he knew and served while he was here on earth. SGT D is a superior soldier that I did not know, but have now been introduced to through the testimony of those I do know. Would that all men were of the quality and strength of character that SGT D must have demonstrated to his friends. I know that he will be missed by those who honor him here, and I will pray for his family's needs and heartfelt loss in the days to come. You who linger here to read and remark, please remember to pray and encourage Thunder6 in these days of sorrow and loss. This is the second time in as many months that he has lost a friend and companion in this war. Please pray for his safety, as I do. Carl

[David]

Capt B, Sgt D is definately going to be missed. Mike is hurtign and misses his friend and that is the measure of how much a man touches the lives of those around him. For the life of me I do not know how someone could read your posts and the posts of the rest of those military men and women in theatre and not realize how powerful a mission it is that you all have been thrust into and how critical it is that you succeed. God Speed Sgt D. and may God hold you all in his hands. David

[Donna]

I salute him too. (And all of you.)

[A Military Mom]

Well done good and faithful servant. You have run the good race and fought the good fight, now recieve the royal crown of victory. May Sgt. Duplantier rest in peace. May his family find comfort in the word of God.

[MB]

The beautiful words spoken as you all held him to the light, speaks volumes to the quality of men standing side by side, sacrificing your very lives, to restore freedom. My prayers and thoughts are with all of you. Be At PEace, Be Safe, God Speed, MB

[Huntress]

The will to persevere. To endure. To strive and never to yield. I have to believe this was Sgt D's creed, and that he would want ALL of us to perserve in the face of adversity, to endure the challenges, to strive to be the best and to never ever yield. Godspeed Sgt.Duplantier. HOOOOOOOOAHHH!

[Chevy Rose]

What beautiful words spoken for a fallen friend. Gods blessings on you all.

[MissBirdlegs in AL]

(Wiping the tears away) Thanks for sharing. You're all in my prayers.

[ArmyWifeToddlerMoma]

We will say a prayer his brothers, and his family.... so sorry

[YankeePaPa13]

..I posted this about a month ago..around Memorial Day..Think it would be appropriate to do it again here..For the Sgt..Take care all..And a special thought for the family and Blees You for your sacrifice..Semper Fi.. http://www.weezye.com/thankyou/thankyou.html

[SGT Jeff (IRR)]

I always hate it when I go more than a day or so without any updates from you, Major K, or Capt(?) Currie. I figure that means that someone died and you are in commo lockdown. Depressing for me 7000 miles away - heartbreaking it must be for you there.

[Some Soldier's Mom]

Now we MUST finish what we've started... to do so otherwise would dishonor such brave people like Sgt D and all those who have paid the ultimate price before him... Thank you, T6 for sharing this remarkable commentary on a life well-lived but ended too soon.

[NYgirl]

You've honored your friend's memory with this beautifully written post. I will say a special prayer tonight for your company & the family of this fallen hero. Freedom isn't free.

[AFSister]

What a beautiful tribute- thanks for sharing it with us, and letting us know a bit about your friend and fallen Soldier. Godspeed....

[MOM]

T6, you allowing me to read this was like I was there. Thank you for sharing. I have read a lot about this wonderful man. I pray for his family. They need our support now. Thanks for all you do.