Soldiers and a Marine remembered

Tuesday was another solemn day at Jalalabad Airfield, as a memorial service was held for five service members that recently gave their lives in this region. Remembered were the four Army engineers who were killed by an IED two weeks ago (mentioned in my post "more terrible loss") and a Marine who died in a vehicle rollover that same week. It served as a sobering reminder to many of us that the work that still lies ahead is every bit as dangerous as it was before.

Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, salute their fallen brother. I can't tell you how great it is to be surrounded by fellow jarheads...nothing against the Army, as I made some good friends among them and they're doing a hell of a job out here too. But it's been a long time since I felt like a Devil Dog, and it's sort of like a reunion even though I didn't know any of these guys previously.

Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division, which now comprises the bulk of the U.S. forces in country, bow their heads. The four warriors who died on March 12 were engineers from the 391st Engineer Battalion, a reserve unit based in South Carolina. They cleared routes so that others could safely travel on the roads of this unstable region, and were struck while performing that bold mission.

SgtMaj Berg of 1/3 recognizes the fallen soldiers. In the background is a South Korean engineer platoon, in camp for a short time to help build structures (unlike Salerno, it's almost all tents here).
One thing I really appreciated from this memorial was how much mutual respect there was between Army and Marines in places like this. It's good to see that when the going gets tough, the rivalry dissipates and professionalism takes over.