Rachael's Dog Tags
Jul 6, 2010 20:48:04 GMT -6
Post by Moderator on Jul 6, 2010 20:48:04 GMT -6
Rachael's Dog Tags
By Jeff Seeber
Those of us who have served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces and lived to tell about it become uncomfortable when someone calls us a "hero". We try our best to hide our discomfort, but it's there nonetheless. We prefer to reserve the description "hero" for our brothers and sisters-in-arms who gave their lives serving our Nation ... men and women such as Rachael Lorraine Hugo.
I have known three recipients of the Medal of Honor, two from World War II and one from Vietnam, who somehow managed to survive their ordeals. They recoiled when called a hero, because they survived. Each of them told me they were simply doing their jobs, just as every other person who has worn a uniform and served honorably has done. It's only a twist of fate, a moment of luck ... good or bad ... that decides who lives and who dies. The survivors try to move on when the shooting stops, always mindful of the heroes they served with who did not survive.
Those who served in Iraq with Rachael Hugo will never forget her. Many others like me, who have come to know some of her family members, will never forget her either. The fact that Rachael volunteered to serve her Nation ... my Nation ... in a time of war tells me everything I need to know about her, her character, her upbringing, her sense of duty, honor and country.
Even though more than 35 years and different wars separates our respective service, she is every bit a sister of mine as the brothers I served with during Vietnam. The special bond that unites us as comrades is that she served as a Combat Medic with the United States Army and I had the honor of serving with FMF (Fleet Marine Force) Corpsmen as a member of the United States Navy. Navy FMF Corpsmen are attached to United States Marine Corps combat platoons.
Rachael Hugo died doing her job. Her service and her sacrifice continues the unbroken chain of Combat Medics and FMF Corpsmen who have given the last full measure of devotion doing what they were trained to do ... what they loved to do ... what they were meant to do. In an e-mail sent from Iraq to her parents, she wrote, "Being a medic is what I live to do". Rachael Hugo is a hero. She is truly a hero.
Combat Medics and FMF Corpsmen have a shared motto ... "So that others may live". That motto is taken very seriously. Combat Medics and Corpsmen refer to the Soldiers and Marines they go out on patrol with as "our Soldiers" or "our Marines". It is a responsibility like no other in the Armed Forces. Medics and Corpsmen seldom remember the names or faces of those they help to survive and never forget the names or faces of those who perish, no matter how badly they were wounded or injured, even if they were already gone before help arrived.
Combat Medics and FMF Corpsmen are often called "Doc". No matter what else about a tour of duty is forgotten, purposely or due to the passing of time, every Medic and every Corpsman remembers the first time they were called "Doc". You do not get to be called "Doc" merely because you graduated from a school or a class. You are not automatically called "Doc" when you go out on your first patrol or mission with a combat platoon or squad. Being called "Doc" must be earned.
A Medic is not called "Doc" until another Soldier sees him or her in action. An FMF Corpsman is not called "Doc" until a Marine watches one of his buddies being saved, or comforted as he dies. The first time a Soldier or a Marine looks a Medic or a Corpsman in the eye and says, "Good job, Doc" is seared into the memory forever. It is the ultimate compliment because it can only be earned when the stakes are literally life and death.
I don't know when Rachael Hugo was called "Doc" for the first time. She was assigned to the 303rd Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. The unit deployed to Iraq in September, 2006 and was responsible for providing security for convoy operations. Three months into her tour, she was credited with saving the life of a Sergeant who was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb. She responded to the dreaded call, "Medic, UP!" while small-arms fire was being directed at the convoy.
I'm guessing Rachael, who was an honor student and a cheerleader in high school, had been called "Doc" before that day because her nickname was "Combat Barbie". She had a reputation for volunteering to saddle-up whenever a patrol was going out without a Medic. Unlike many Medics and Corpsmen who volunteer for that particular job, Rachael had already demonstrated a love for medicine before enlisting in the Army Reserves. She was a certified home health aide for a county health department and was studying for a bachelor's degree in nursing before she deployed. She had also worked in a Madison, Wisconsin hospital as a nursing assistant.
On 5 October 2007, U.S. Army Specialist Rachael "Doc" Hugo, 24 years old, died from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked her column of vehicles with an improvised explosive device near Bayji in Salah ad Din Governorate, Iraq. Her unit was scheduled to rotate back to the United States one month later.
On 22 May 2010, a small group of friends representing seven decades of Military service met in Rochester, Minnesota. We were joined by family members of five Americans who died following September 11, 2001. All five served our Nation honorably in Operations Enduring Freedom and/or Iraqi Freedom. At some point that evening ... during the remembering, the honoring, the tears and the fond memories ... Rachael's parents, Kermit and Ruth, presented me with her second set of identification tags, commonly referred to as dog tags.
Dog tags identify each individual. They are worn constantly. They are never taken off during deployment in a combat zone. War is a horrible thing. War causes devastating injuries to a human body. Sadly, dog tags are the only way that some of the wounded, injured or fallen can be identified.
Soldiers deployed in the Global War On Terror are issued two sets of dog tags. Sometimes the second set is stored in a safe place in case something happens to the other set. Sometimes a Soldier will separate the tags from the second set and place one in a boot or maybe in a combat vest pocket. A third set is prepared and sent to Mortuary Services so they can be attached to the transfer case and eventually the casket if the Soldier dies.
If the unthinkable happens, one or both sets of the tags issued to the Soldier eventually find their way home to the next-of-kin. Families treasure the tags, because they know their husband or wife or son or daughter or mother or father wore them. Much like the loved one who is gone forever, those particular sets of tags are irreplaceable.
When Kermit and Ruth Hugo handed me Rachael's second set of dog tags, I tried to refuse them. It was the only time I have ever tried to refuse a keepsake someone wanted me to have. I know what they mean. I know what it takes to earn the right to wear them. I think I have a fairly good idea of what they must mean to the family members left behind. Yet, they insisted I have them, so I finally accepted.
I have two large shadow boxes of medallions, challenge coins, patches, pins and other keepsakes that I treasure. Each item is special. Each item means a great deal to me. Still, none of them have been worn by a hero who gave her life defending the same Nation that I served and love.
I placed Rachael's dog tags in the very center of one of the boxes. I want people to lean forward to read them and then ask once they realize they're not mine ... who is Rachael Hugo? I'll be only too happy to tell them. When I'm gone, my wife can tell them. And when she's gone, the family member who takes possession of the box can tell them. The very least we owe our heroes is to continue to tell their stories so that they are never forgotten. Rachael is one of those heroes.
I wish there had never been a reason for me to learn Rachael Hugo's name or to meet her parents. I wish she had finished her schooling, become a nurse, maybe a doctor, and lived a long and happy life without knowing war. But that wasn't to be. When America was attacked on 11 September 2001, soon-to-be heroes like Rachael responded. Some two million other magnificent men and women who cherish freedom joined her.
Every one of those wonderful men and women have been affected in one way or another. Some of them sacrificed their very lives. All of them have families who spent countless hours dreading a knock on the door. Some of those families realized their worst fears. We who benefit from their service and sacrifice owe them everything ... literally everything. If we forget them, if we ignore them, the freedom so many take for granted will some day be lost forever. Once lost, it can never be regained. Let us never forget those who served, those who died, or the families of any of them. Let us never forget Rachael Hugo.
United States Army Specialist Rachael Hugo was posthumously promoted to the rank of Corporal. She was awarded the Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart.
Good job, Doc. Well done. Rest in peace, Soldier. I'm looking forward to meeting you on the other side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporal Rachael Lorraine Hugo
Born May 13, 1983 - Died October 5, 2007
Buried in Roselawn Memorial Park ... Monona, Wisconsin
By Jeff Seeber
Those of us who have served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces and lived to tell about it become uncomfortable when someone calls us a "hero". We try our best to hide our discomfort, but it's there nonetheless. We prefer to reserve the description "hero" for our brothers and sisters-in-arms who gave their lives serving our Nation ... men and women such as Rachael Lorraine Hugo.
I have known three recipients of the Medal of Honor, two from World War II and one from Vietnam, who somehow managed to survive their ordeals. They recoiled when called a hero, because they survived. Each of them told me they were simply doing their jobs, just as every other person who has worn a uniform and served honorably has done. It's only a twist of fate, a moment of luck ... good or bad ... that decides who lives and who dies. The survivors try to move on when the shooting stops, always mindful of the heroes they served with who did not survive.
Those who served in Iraq with Rachael Hugo will never forget her. Many others like me, who have come to know some of her family members, will never forget her either. The fact that Rachael volunteered to serve her Nation ... my Nation ... in a time of war tells me everything I need to know about her, her character, her upbringing, her sense of duty, honor and country.
Even though more than 35 years and different wars separates our respective service, she is every bit a sister of mine as the brothers I served with during Vietnam. The special bond that unites us as comrades is that she served as a Combat Medic with the United States Army and I had the honor of serving with FMF (Fleet Marine Force) Corpsmen as a member of the United States Navy. Navy FMF Corpsmen are attached to United States Marine Corps combat platoons.
Rachael Hugo died doing her job. Her service and her sacrifice continues the unbroken chain of Combat Medics and FMF Corpsmen who have given the last full measure of devotion doing what they were trained to do ... what they loved to do ... what they were meant to do. In an e-mail sent from Iraq to her parents, she wrote, "Being a medic is what I live to do". Rachael Hugo is a hero. She is truly a hero.
Combat Medics and FMF Corpsmen have a shared motto ... "So that others may live". That motto is taken very seriously. Combat Medics and Corpsmen refer to the Soldiers and Marines they go out on patrol with as "our Soldiers" or "our Marines". It is a responsibility like no other in the Armed Forces. Medics and Corpsmen seldom remember the names or faces of those they help to survive and never forget the names or faces of those who perish, no matter how badly they were wounded or injured, even if they were already gone before help arrived.
Combat Medics and FMF Corpsmen are often called "Doc". No matter what else about a tour of duty is forgotten, purposely or due to the passing of time, every Medic and every Corpsman remembers the first time they were called "Doc". You do not get to be called "Doc" merely because you graduated from a school or a class. You are not automatically called "Doc" when you go out on your first patrol or mission with a combat platoon or squad. Being called "Doc" must be earned.
A Medic is not called "Doc" until another Soldier sees him or her in action. An FMF Corpsman is not called "Doc" until a Marine watches one of his buddies being saved, or comforted as he dies. The first time a Soldier or a Marine looks a Medic or a Corpsman in the eye and says, "Good job, Doc" is seared into the memory forever. It is the ultimate compliment because it can only be earned when the stakes are literally life and death.
I don't know when Rachael Hugo was called "Doc" for the first time. She was assigned to the 303rd Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. The unit deployed to Iraq in September, 2006 and was responsible for providing security for convoy operations. Three months into her tour, she was credited with saving the life of a Sergeant who was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb. She responded to the dreaded call, "Medic, UP!" while small-arms fire was being directed at the convoy.
I'm guessing Rachael, who was an honor student and a cheerleader in high school, had been called "Doc" before that day because her nickname was "Combat Barbie". She had a reputation for volunteering to saddle-up whenever a patrol was going out without a Medic. Unlike many Medics and Corpsmen who volunteer for that particular job, Rachael had already demonstrated a love for medicine before enlisting in the Army Reserves. She was a certified home health aide for a county health department and was studying for a bachelor's degree in nursing before she deployed. She had also worked in a Madison, Wisconsin hospital as a nursing assistant.
On 5 October 2007, U.S. Army Specialist Rachael "Doc" Hugo, 24 years old, died from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked her column of vehicles with an improvised explosive device near Bayji in Salah ad Din Governorate, Iraq. Her unit was scheduled to rotate back to the United States one month later.
On 22 May 2010, a small group of friends representing seven decades of Military service met in Rochester, Minnesota. We were joined by family members of five Americans who died following September 11, 2001. All five served our Nation honorably in Operations Enduring Freedom and/or Iraqi Freedom. At some point that evening ... during the remembering, the honoring, the tears and the fond memories ... Rachael's parents, Kermit and Ruth, presented me with her second set of identification tags, commonly referred to as dog tags.
Dog tags identify each individual. They are worn constantly. They are never taken off during deployment in a combat zone. War is a horrible thing. War causes devastating injuries to a human body. Sadly, dog tags are the only way that some of the wounded, injured or fallen can be identified.
Soldiers deployed in the Global War On Terror are issued two sets of dog tags. Sometimes the second set is stored in a safe place in case something happens to the other set. Sometimes a Soldier will separate the tags from the second set and place one in a boot or maybe in a combat vest pocket. A third set is prepared and sent to Mortuary Services so they can be attached to the transfer case and eventually the casket if the Soldier dies.
If the unthinkable happens, one or both sets of the tags issued to the Soldier eventually find their way home to the next-of-kin. Families treasure the tags, because they know their husband or wife or son or daughter or mother or father wore them. Much like the loved one who is gone forever, those particular sets of tags are irreplaceable.
When Kermit and Ruth Hugo handed me Rachael's second set of dog tags, I tried to refuse them. It was the only time I have ever tried to refuse a keepsake someone wanted me to have. I know what they mean. I know what it takes to earn the right to wear them. I think I have a fairly good idea of what they must mean to the family members left behind. Yet, they insisted I have them, so I finally accepted.
I have two large shadow boxes of medallions, challenge coins, patches, pins and other keepsakes that I treasure. Each item is special. Each item means a great deal to me. Still, none of them have been worn by a hero who gave her life defending the same Nation that I served and love.
I placed Rachael's dog tags in the very center of one of the boxes. I want people to lean forward to read them and then ask once they realize they're not mine ... who is Rachael Hugo? I'll be only too happy to tell them. When I'm gone, my wife can tell them. And when she's gone, the family member who takes possession of the box can tell them. The very least we owe our heroes is to continue to tell their stories so that they are never forgotten. Rachael is one of those heroes.
I wish there had never been a reason for me to learn Rachael Hugo's name or to meet her parents. I wish she had finished her schooling, become a nurse, maybe a doctor, and lived a long and happy life without knowing war. But that wasn't to be. When America was attacked on 11 September 2001, soon-to-be heroes like Rachael responded. Some two million other magnificent men and women who cherish freedom joined her.
Every one of those wonderful men and women have been affected in one way or another. Some of them sacrificed their very lives. All of them have families who spent countless hours dreading a knock on the door. Some of those families realized their worst fears. We who benefit from their service and sacrifice owe them everything ... literally everything. If we forget them, if we ignore them, the freedom so many take for granted will some day be lost forever. Once lost, it can never be regained. Let us never forget those who served, those who died, or the families of any of them. Let us never forget Rachael Hugo.
United States Army Specialist Rachael Hugo was posthumously promoted to the rank of Corporal. She was awarded the Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart.
Good job, Doc. Well done. Rest in peace, Soldier. I'm looking forward to meeting you on the other side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporal Rachael Lorraine Hugo
Born May 13, 1983 - Died October 5, 2007
Buried in Roselawn Memorial Park ... Monona, Wisconsin