Backtalk: Night watch

Night watch
By Col. John Garrity

I drove to Fort Campbell, Ky., to stand the night watch with a friend and warrior. After the 10-hour drive from Fort Bragg, N.C., I was tired but eager to spend time with a soldier who was facing his final battle. This was one of several trips I had taken recently to be with a man I loved like a brother, whose love of life and inner strength inspired me. I had hoped to spend a few days before Christmas with him and his family.

As it turned out, I stood his final watch with him that night.

Maj. Kelly Francis Weinberg, U.S. Army Military Police Corps, was the kind of soldier that other soldiers flocked to. They wanted to be like him, they wanted to share his joy of life and they wanted to spend time with a man who lived life at 100 miles per hour.

I had known this young officer since he was a platoon leader at Fort Hood, Texas. He was a “Soldier of the Gauntlet,” a member of the 720th Military Police Battalion who exemplified everything that is great about soldiers. An exceptional athlete and spirited Irishman, Kelly was not happy the day the battalion commander told him he must leave his platoon to serve as an assistant operations officer in the battalion operations section. I was the S3 and remember vividly the day he joined my section.

“It’s not fair, sir — I am a good platoon leader,” he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_backtalk_goodbye_080128/