Let them in, Peter, They are very tired Give them couches where the angels sleep And light those fires
Let them wake whole again To brand new dawns Fired with the sun Not wartime's bloody guns
May their peace be deep Remember where the broken bodies lie God knows how young they were To have to die God knows how young they were to have to die
Give them things they like Let them make some noise Give roadhouse bands, not golden harps To these our boys
And let them love, Peter 'Cause they've had no time They should have trees and bird songs And hills to climb
The taste of summer in a ripened pear And girls sweet as meadow winds With flowing hair
Tell them how they are missed And say not to fear It's gonna be alright With us down here
Let them in, Peter...
Tonight we pay tribute to two of our best and brightest - Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa and Master Sgt. David L. Hurt. Please join me in honoring their memories and paying respects to their loved ones.
"Let them in, Peter..."
The music was written by John Gorka, the lyrics are by an unknown author and were discovered in a hospital in the Philippines when American and Australian troops liberated the islands from the Japanese during WWII.
From the DoD:
The Department of Defense announced the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, 26, of Woodridge IL, died Feb. 20, in Khordi, Afghanistan, when his military vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device followed by small arms fire attack by enemy forces. Master Sgt. David L. Hurt, 36, of Tucson, AZ, died Feb. 20, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, from wounds received during the same incident. They were assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
The loss of these two extraordinary men is being felt around the country - from North Carolina and Illinois to Hawaii and Arizona, all places where they had roots...and wives, children, parents, siblings, relatives, friends and communities who loved them beyond measure. Both men were deployed to Afghanistan in January. For Master Sgt. Hurt it was his 5th tour of duty and for Staff Sgt. Bessa, his second. As you can imagine they were both highly decorated.Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, 26, of Woodridge, IL and North Carolina
On his second deployment to Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, a Special Forces communications sergeant, was born at the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu where his father, Ted, a sergeant major in the Army, was stationed, according to the Chicago Tribune web site.
Bessa lived with his grandmother (in Illinois) while he went to Downers Grove South for his junior and senior years. He wanted to finish high school in the United States, said his father, who was stationed in Italy at the time. He also was able to graduate from the same high school that his mother had graduated from, he said. Bessa spent a semester at Southern Illinois University before being inspired to enlist after the Sept. 11 attacks, his parents said. He joined the Army in April 2002 and became a Green Beret in 2007. "He was a wonderful little child and grew into a very wonderful man," his mother, Julie, said.
SSgt Bessa recently became a father for the first time. He was home for the birth of his son Carson on Dec. 4.
"He was so touched with his child, his boy, and the prospect of being a father," his father said. Bessa is also survived by his wife, Lindsey, who lives with their son in Fayetteville, N.C. He also has an 18-year-old sister, Bryana, and a 16-year-old brother, Joel. His mother said he used to love sitting on the deck, entertaining the family with his guitar playing and made-up-songs. "He's going to be greatly missed because he had such a big heart," his mother said.
Peter, please let in Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa. May his peace be deep.
Master Sgt. David L. Hurt, 36, of Tucson, AZ and North Carolina
Master Sgt. David Hurt was a Special Forces operations sergeant who joined the military to fulfill a lifelong dream. He was born in West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois. He moved to Tucson when he was 3, where he was raised, his mother, Bonnie Hurt, who now lives in Hope Mills, N.C., told the Chicago Tribune.
"I was very proud of him," she said. "He loved the military." Before he left, he had put a flagpole and flag in front of her home, she said. "When they showed up, the four soldiers Friday night, they said they knew which house it was because of that flag," she said.
According to the Tribune MSgt. Hurt is also "survived by his wife, Kelly, 11-year-old daughter, Avery, and 5-year-old son, Wyatt, all of Grays Creek, N.C. He has a sister, Deborah, who lives with their mother. Their father, Joe Hurt, was a longtime resident of Franklin Park before recently moving to Memphis." According to MSgt. Hurt’s Forces biography, his military education included the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course, Sniper Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Pathfinder Course, Ranger Course, Jumpmaster Course, Sapper Leader Course, Combat Life Savers Course, Special Forces Advanced Recon and Target Exploitation Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Warrior Leaders Course, and Special Forces Qualification Course. He received many awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters. In an interview with the Arizona Daily Star (all of the following quotes are from that interview), MSgt. Hurt’s mother said he’d communicate with his family whenever he could – even if it was just an instant message saying "I love you."
Hurt loved the Army. Even as boy he loved playing with toy soldiers, his mother said. Years later, after her son had joined the Army, she would walk into his home and see the small plastic soldiers spread across a table — this time being used to plan out real-life tactics. "He always loved the Army. Oh God, he loved it," she said.
MSgt. Hurt’s mother recalled her last conversation with her son to the Daily Star:
Wednesday, the last time Bonnie Hurt spoke with her son, Hurt told her that he was trying to keep his team's spirits high after a medic had been killed the week before. He told her that he was trying to keep his team of young soldiers busy so they wouldn't have time to dwell on things, she said.
His mother reflected on what kind of family man he was:
"He was a very loving, caring husband, . . . and he was a great father. He loved doing things with his kids. He took his kids everywhere," Bonnie Hurt said. "They're really taking it rough," she said.
And finally she reflected on his loss:
As for herself, nothing in her life compares with this loss. "I've lost my mom. I've lost my dad. I've lost my aunt. I've been through a ton of funerals," she said. "You can go through all of that, but it's nothing like losing your kid . . . they're not supposed to go before you."
Peter, please let in Master Sgt. David L. Hurt and tell him how much he is missed.
REMEMBER THEM WELL Remember our troops- those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, those who are still in harm’s way and those who have returned home:
In Remembrance Please take a moment to honor the memories of our fallen service men and women who have passed through this world much too quickly. You can view the stories and remembrances of these heroes at sites such as Iraq Veterans Memorial and Honor the Fallen.
Supporting the Troops If you haven’t had a chance to put together a care package for a unit in Iraq or Afghanistan - it’s such a good feeling to know you are sending our troops things they really need. I’m not talking about the comforts of home – it’s necessities like socks and underwear and soup packets and feminine hygiene products and paper and pens...and school supplies, treats and trinkets they can pass out to the Iraqi and Afghan children. Basic things that they are so thrilled to receive. There are a few ways to do this. You can go through troopcarepackage.com or anysoldier.com. If you go to the anysolider site click on WhereToSend for a searchable database. For example if you search "By Latest Email" you’ll see the troops who most recently have submitted a request for specific items. You then request their mailing address. Operation Helmet is another great organization whose mission is to provide helmet upgrades.
Supporting Our Veterans We have a solemn duty to ensure that our veterans are properly cared for. Consider visiting sites such as StandUp4Vets.org, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Welcome Back Veterans.org and Fisher House to see where your help is needed. Other ways to help can be found in this diary.
The Department of Defense has confirmed 4,251 deaths and 5 more pending notification of their next of kin, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. 660 American troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001 and 4 more pending notification of their next of kin.
About the IGTNT series:
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.