A Tribute

The following are prayers, specificly known as Invocations,or prayers that begin an occasion and Benedictions, prayers that end an occasion, of memorial ceremonies for soldiers of the 167th Corps Support Group who died in Iraq. There is a meditation also known as a or sermon or message, or eulogy that I presented for one of the ceremonies.


Invocations:

We are here, Dear god, gathered together, with you, in this place.
Comfort us in the midst of our grief.
Reaffirm our belief in the goodness of life.
Restore our hearts with the hope of your promise, spoken by the Prophet, declaring that great day, when we shall gather once again, with all those we love:
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from a far and my daughters from the end of the earth.
May it be so. Amen


Dear God, the one who has been our help in ages past and is our hope for years to come, attend to us in the moment of this gathering. We, with hearts full of grief, with minds full of the memories of tragic loss, with souls filled with the fear of our own fragile finitude, ask you to be attentive to our condition. In this moment, be as near to us as our very breath, so that the comfort of your abiding spirit, the strength of your affirming hand and the hope of your eternal love, may sustain us through this dark valley of sorrow we face today. By your presence, may we be reminded of the promise that those who go out sowing the seeds of tears shall return reaping the joys of gladness. Amen


Benedictions:

May the Spirit, who has the power to change our ashes of mourning into a wreath of joy, and our tears of sorrow into the oil of gladness, comfort you and guide you through these days of sorrow. As we go forth on our life’s journey, may we commit ourselves to this worthy endeavor; To remember, these soldiers who lived bravely, who gave their last full measure, sacrificed on the alter of freedom; To honor, these whom we called friend, whom we loved as our own, honor them, through our own faithful devotion to the ideals we hold so dearly. Amen


May the peace of God which passes all understanding fill your hearts and minds, and lead you from the dark valley of despair to the bright mountain of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy, from the isolation of grief to the fellowship of reunion, that will come when God gathers all of his children on that great gettin’-up-morning, and welcomes each of us to that boundless banqueting table of God’s abundant love. May this promise lead you and sustain you through the days ahead. Go in Peace

A Meditation given on the occasion of the Memorial Ceremony for
SPC Charles L. Neeley
August 30, 2004
CH (MAJ) James W. Rose

Dear friends and fellow soldiers,
We gather together to pay tribute to SPC Charles Neeley; to honor his life, to remember what he meant to us and to believe in the dreams he longed to fulfill.
We are here to share the joys of his life and the sorrow of his death. We come here to comfort and support one another. It is here that we are free to pour our grief, release our anger. Together, we face the emptiness and finality of death and in the midst of all our thoughts and feelings to rest on the promise that God cares.
Upon hearing of SPC Neeley’s death, I spend some time in the Company area visiting with soldiers who knew him well and had worked with him over this past year. From the stories they told, I quickly drew the conclusion that he was a soldier I would have enjoyed knowing. There were two common themes that struck me. The first was mischievous, in the playful sense of the word, not malicious. He was one who thought differently, always interested in another point of view, willing to think outside the box, curious about the world he lived in. He was a person who wanted to drink deeply from the fountain of life, to be filled up with all its possibilities. To me, these are the characteristics of a thoughtful and genuine individual.


The other comment that caught my attention concerning SPC Neeley, centered on the idea that Charles was, learning to be a soldier. As I thought about that phrase it came to me that we cannot say that about everyone. It is one thing to go through basic training, to learn soldiering skills, but that is not the same. Anyone can put on the uniform and go through the motions. It takes a special individual to come to the realization that being a true soldier includes a commit to a way of life. SPC Neeley was dedicated to learning what it truly meant to call oneself, a soldier.
I would dare say that even our esteemed leaders here with us this morning, these who through their military career have exemplified the very ethos of what it means to be a soldier would say, they too are learning to be soldiers. Specialist Neeley in the eyes of his comrades was held in this same esteem. Learning to be a soldier, not just going through the acts of soldiering, but taking on what being a soldier really meant. He concentrated his life, his energy, his skills, and his personality on living the life of a soldier.
On the morning of August 25, SPC Neeley was a part of a mission. He had options. He could have played sick, begged off the mission to go to sick call. He could have tried to find some other excuse. He could have just disobeyed the order. In fact he could have decided long ago not even to come to Iraq. But on August 25, SPC Neeley chose to do his duty with out question or hesitation. In doing his duty SCP Neeley demonstrated that he was indeed learning what it meant to be a soldier.


The truth of this statement is realized when we reflect on the words of General Robert E. Lee. “Duty then is the most sublime word of the language. Do your duty in all things. You can not do more. You should never wish to do less.” The faithful performance of one’s duty, from the private to the general is the very sinew which holds this institution together and makes possible the successful completion of its mission. Charles Neeley is a part of that great tradition. Individuals who have committed themselves to discovering what it means to be a soldier by way of their deep devotion to duty.

May each of us here this morning, upon facing that great day when we cross over the threshold of eternity. On that day when we are called to account for our life’s work; to appraise how we have lived out our commitments -in that moment; may each of us be worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with SPC Charles Neeley, with unflinching resolve, and say with integrity and fidelity, we too faithfully performed our duty. God bless SPC Neeley and his devotion to all that we hold to be true, to all that we hold dear in our hearts.




List of soldiers in the 167th Corps Support Group who have died:


Trevor A. Win'E

Joshua S. Ladd

Dustin W. Peters

Jeremy J. Fischer

Linda Ann Tarango-Griess

David A. Hartman

Torey J. Dantzler

Tatjana Reed

Mathew R. Stovall

Charles L. Neeley

Charles L. Anderson

Brandon M. Reed

Jose Flores