Soldiers mourn fallen soldier, “little brother”

CJTF7 ^ | Dec. 25, 2003

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

CJTF-7 Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Release #031225a

 

                            Soldiers mourn fallen soldier, “little brother”

MOSUL, Iraq – A memorial ceremony was held at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation building on the Division Rear compound in Mosul Tuesday to pay tribute to Spc. Nathan W. Nakis, a general equipment operator with Company B, 52nd Engineer Battalion, attached to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

Nakis, 19, of Sedro Woolley, Wash., was killed last Tuesday in a vehicle accident near Mosul. He is survived by his mother, Elinor; father, Arthur; and brother, Nicholas.

Fellow soldiers gathered in a faintly-lit room, where memories of their comrade were roused by a display of the soldier’s boots, rifle, helmet and dog tags – as well as a collection of pictures taken of Nakis during his nine months in the Middle East.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Nakis planned to attend Oregon State University to pursue a degree in civil engineering, said Nakis’ platoon leader, 1st Lt. Sarah Apgar.

“The world needs more Nathan Nakises,” Apgar said. “It needs more of his drive; it needs more of his passion and his laughter.”

Nakis graduated Air Assault School less than one week before he lost his life in the accident.

“Nathan always had invisible wings that carried him to the top of the world,” said Apgar. “Two weeks ago, those wings were replaced by Air Assault wings.”

While Nakis’ wings may have helped him impress his peers, it was the devotion the soldier had toward his everyday duties that made him what Apgar called “a platoon leader’s dream.” Apgar said Nakis bypassed eating Thanksgiving dinner in the dining facility to continue digging a trench to drain his unit’s area after a large rainstorm.

“He insisted that a fellow soldier bring him his Thanksgiving dinner to go, so he could keep on working,” she said.

At just 19 years old, Nakis did a lot of growing in the Army. Capt. Marcus Williams, his company commander, said many soldiers saw him as their little brother, watching him develop and mature as a soldier and as a man while in Iraq.

“We’ll miss you,” Williams said softly.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Dec. 16, 2003—Army Spec. Nathan W. Nakis, 19, Sedro Woolley, killed in a crash of a five-ton cargo truck, which tipped over when he tried to avoid a hole he thought contained a bomb, southwest of Mosul; six others were injured. Nakis was assigned to the 52nd Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, Albany, Ore. A recent high-school grad, Nakis was attending Oregon State University, studying for a dual degree in civil and forest engineering, when he was called up. In a statement, family members said Nathan "served his school, his community, and his country with pride." They remembered that, as a kid, the Eagle Scout loved playing soldier.

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

   Thank you, Spec. Nathan W. Nakis. 

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[Ragtime Cowgirl]

(Tissue alert).

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

“The world needs more Nathan Nakises,” Apgar said. “It needs more of his drive; it needs more of his passion and his laughter.”

Nakis graduated Air Assault School less than one week before he lost his life in the accident.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
101st Airborne Division mourning yet one more of their own. Y

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[matrix2225]

Rest in God peace.

[SandRat]

Just sent an email off to Cascade Pacific Council, BSA with a copy of your reply (HTML format).

That way they have the opportunity to do any or all of the following:

1. Add it in a memoriam page to their Council web page.
   
2. Put it in the Quarterly Newsletter that is mailed out to all adult scouter's in the Council.
   
3. Notify NESA (National Eagle Scout Association) that a new entry must be made in the Roll of Honor.
   
4. Anything else they can think of.

[windchime]

Bump!

[radu]

Prayers sent for Spc. Nathan W. Nakis's family and "big brothers and sisters" during this sad time.

Rest in peace, young soldier.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you, SandRat. That was very considerate.

Our troops are restoring their rightful reputation as honorable defenders of freedom daily around the world.

Maybe our former Scouts, by example, will do the same for other American institutions...with a little help from supporters on the homefront.

[CHICAGOFARMER]

Mohmamed says his profound most sincere thank you.

Note two meg file but well worth it.

*Mohammed says thank you*

http://www.rustfreetrucks.com/stuff1/Iraqilawyermohammedgohome.mp3

cut and paste