USASOC Honors Gold Star Families in Ceremony

The Army’s Special Operations Command Memorial Wall added seven new names to their list of honored fallen soldiers in a solemn ceremony at Ft. Bragg, NC. After each name was read the toll of a bell was heard to honor the sacrifice of the troops.

The command honored Maj. Andrew Byers, Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Lewellen, Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe, Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas, Staff Sgt. Matthew Thompson during the ceremony that was attended by their respective families.

Outside the U.S. Army Special Operations Command headquarters on Fort Bragg, officials honored each soldier for his sacrifice to the nation over the past year.

Byers, Gloyer, Thomas and Thompson died of wounds received in combat in Afghanistan. Thomas, Byers and Gloyer served with the 10th Special Forces Group. Thompson served with the 1st Special Forces Group.

Lewellen, McEnroe, and Moriarty died after an attack in Jordan. They were each part of the 5th Special Forces Group.

On Thursday, their names were officially added to the USASOC Memorial Wall — an expanse that includes the names of more than 1,200 special operations soldiers who have been killed in combat since the Korean War.

“The roll of honor reflected on this wall includes recipients of 12 Medals of Honor, over 100 Distinguished Service or Distinguished Flying Crosses, more than 800 Silver Stars and numerous other awards for valor and service,” said Lt. Gen. Kenneth E. Tovo, commander of USASOC. “Though there are many heroes on the wall. It is not a monument to heroism. It is a tribute to sacrifice.”

“It honors the incredible sacrifice of 1,206 Army special operators,” the general added. “They’re sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, teammates and friends. All of these soldiers put aside their personal hopes and dreams to serve our nation.”

The seven warriors honored Thursday were no different, Tovo said.

“Seven unique individuals. Seven very different paths in life,” he said. “They came from the width and breadth of America, from California to New York, from Texas to Minnesota; from small towns to big cities.”

The ceremony underscored the deep price that the Special Operations Forces pay for the freedoms celebrated by the citizens of the US every year and these should be noted every day not just on Memorial Day.

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Photo courtesy Fayetteville Observer