It was precisely on July 10, 2008, when members of the United States Army brought devastating news to the parents of 26-year-old Sergeant Alex Jimenez of Lawrence, Massachusetts and those of 19-year-old soldier Byron Fouty of Waterford, Michigan. The bodies of both soldiers had been found in Jurf Es Sakhr, Iraq, after having been missing for more than a year.
After so long, Alex had returned home, but not the way his father Andy, his mother Mary, his brother Bryant, the Merrimack Valley community and the entire nation expected. We all wanted to see him, to have the opportunity to speak to him, to embrace him, to thank him for his generous service to our nation in favor of our freedoms. Instead, his remains returned home draped in a flag, the same flag he once swore to defend with honor.
The 26-year-old US Army Sergeant Alex Jimenez, who had been captured by insurgents associated with the al-Qaida terrorist group, in the early morning hours of May 12, 2007, during a devastating enemy attack to an observation post near the village of Qarghuli, in Iraq, and reported as lost until his body, next to that of Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan, was found and identified by a group of soldiers dedicated to his search.
According to all the reports, these men were captured alive. There is only one reason why today they are not; our enemies lack the compassion that exists in our people.
In his honor, the City of Lawrence placed a plaque on the bridge over the Spicket River, which connects Marston and Canal Streets. When you pass by him, no matter how fast you go, take a few seconds to think about him, thank him for his selfless service and welcome him home. May God bless you both!
