5 Names That Should Be On That Plaque

Last week a plaque was set in the sidewalk near where Michael Brown was killed.  And the sad part about that sentence is that you likely know exactly which Michael Brown I’m talking about.  

Everyone in America knows the name of the the criminal who, in August of 2014, died while violently assaulting a police officer after fleeing the scene of a robbery.

Since you know that name, you might as well know the names of five more people who died in August of 2014.

Five names that, outside of their families and close friends, no one will ever hear.  No one will march, no one will protest, their parents will never have a national stage from which to tell their story.

And they’ll likely never have their own plaque.  Instead, they’ll have nothing more than their name etched into a stone wall, alongside thousands of their brothers-in-arms.

 

Army Staff Sgt. Girard D. Gass Jr.

Died August 3rd, 2014 while on patrol in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

Army Major General Harold J. Greene

Died August 5th, 2014 as a result of small arms fire in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Samuel C. Hairston

Died August 12th, 2014 as a result of small arms fire in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett

Died August 20th, 2014 from injuries sustained after being engaged by the enemy in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley

Died August 22, 2014 in Gardez, Afghanistan.

Whether we like to think about it or not, every day there are very bad people all over the world planning the very bad things they want to do to our country.  And the five brave men whose names you just read drew a line in the sand of a far away country, determined to do whatever it took to stop those bad people.

Nine months after their deaths, it’s time to give these five soldiers a voice too.  Share this post, it’s time for everyone to hear the names of these soldiers too.