The muffled drum's roll has beat the Soldier's last tattoo; No more on life's parade shall meet that brave and fallen few. On Fame's eternal camping ground their silent tents are spread, and Glory guards with solemn round the bivouac of the dead.
Our Journey Begins
Team,
I hope that this note finds you well. I know I’ve been missing in action for the past couple of weeks, but it doesn’t mean that we haven’t been working. We’ve had some great things happen for us over the past couple of weeks.
Before I begin, I’d like to thank all of you who have made donations over the past couple of weeks. Since we don’t know when our next fundraiser is going to be, your generosity is greatly appreciated.
We’ve received confirmation that two of the folks we’ve asked to deliver socks will make deliveries a week apart in October, then begin monthly deliveries going forward. After 9 months without being able to get our normal supply line going this news is the best we could have received.
We were able to also get a boost from our partner STANCE who provided us with a financial donation and a large bunch of socks. In addition to the boost to our group’s bottom line, it gave Carla and I something to do as we matched about a thousand pairs of socks this week. Never let it be said that we aren’t willing to go to any length to help our friends forward.
Our neighbors would walk by our house and look at us with the small mountains of socks and shake their heads. You could see it in the looks on their faces, “what a hassle. They must be crazy.” They’re wrong. We were grateful for the distraction.
It’s important for us to stay busy this time of year, as next week will mark the 11th anniversary of our son’s death in Afghanistan.
We’ll mark it the same way that we do every year. We’ll go down to Rosecrans to put flowers on Donald’s grave. Carla will bake an apple pie. I am sure that we will hear from the men he served with to let us know that he hasn’t been forgotten.
It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been 11 years since he’s been gone. Somedays it feels like it was yesterday. The death of the AAV team this year has raised a lot of memories and has caused me some sleepless nights as I am reminded of the grief and anguish, we experienced at the time.
The Marines knocking on the door. Calling Carla to come downstairs. Having the Sergeant read the action report. The description of our son’s wounds. The statement that he is dead. They are not unkind in the process; they are tasked with notification. They perform their duty, the Chaplain who accompanied them asks if he can help. They leave.
Our journey begins.
We make the journey to Dover. We watch our son being carried out of the plane by 6 Marines in his flag draped coffin and then loaded into an ambulance for transportation to the morgue. We are fortunate that our nephew who is a midshipman at the Naval Academy meets us and, at the request of his Marine advisor, brings us back to Annapolis before making the journey home. The Lieutenant Colonel gives us a personal tour of the Academy and takes a moment to show us the painting of another Marine John Ripley who was awarded the Medal of Honor for mining a bridge under fire to stop a North Vietnamese Army attack. He had met him in a bar in Annapolis and had told him that during the process he accepted the fact that he would not survive and as a result his fear had left him.
At our quarters that night, we receive an e-mail from the Mother of one of the Marines who was on the patrol with Donald who had spoken to her son who told her that our son had seen a wire being pulled to trigger an IED and instead of running, pushed the nearest Marine out of the way and then putting his body between the IED and the rest of the patrol warned them off.
When I read that, I thought of John Ripley and hoped that my son felt that enlightenment that he spoke about prior to his death.
We hear from Carla’s brother who served in Iraq who tells us to roll back the clock to 5 minutes before the event. He is a Master of the Universe. Doing what he trained to do, wanted to do since he was a little kid. He then tells us that when he died, he was surrounded by men who loved him utterly. It relieves my pain a little and I think we should all be so lucky.
We hear from reporters who want details and want to know how we feel. After a while we quit responding. One day we hear from the war correspondent from the San Diego Tribune who asks if she can speak to us about Donald. Not his death. Donald.
I tell her about his good nature and his goofy smile. I tell her how much he loved to eat. I tell her about his wanting to be part of something bigger than himself and his frustration when he was posted next to our home. I tell her about the one thing that he always wanted. To be a Marine, how much he loved it and his plans for his career.
She asks how the experience has affected me and Carla, I tell her the truth. We are devastated. A piece of our souls has been removed and can never be replaced. She asks how I feel about my son. I tell her that he has taught me two important things; 1) Life is precious and it’s short, and 2) We are all capable of at least on phenomenal act in our lifetimes.
We bury our son the next week and have his celebration of life on Labor Day. In February, the Battalion returns and there is a Memorial Service for Donald and the three other Marines who died during the deployment.
And then life goes on.
We’ve tried to honor our son’s memory through our actions over the years. Sometimes I feel like we are falling short. But every day, we are guided by our son’s example and remember that our lives are precious and they’re short, and we continue to try to find our one phenomenal act.
On Monday, there will be a unit Memorial Service for the Marines lost in the AAV. If you can, say a prayer for the families who have lost so much for our Nation.
And on Wednesday, have a piece of Apple Pie to remember our son.
Thanks for joining us in our position in this fight.
Jim Hogan
In memory of our son, LCPL Donald Hogan
Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
KIA 8/26/2009 Nawa, Afghanistan
We honor his memory by caring for Americans serving in harm’s way.
We will not mourn their passing, but be grateful that such men lived among us if even for a short period of time.
Team,
I hope that this note finds you well. We’ve been busy, and while we’ve made some progress, the news we bring this week is not good.
We shipped the balance of our socks out to two Army units in Afghanistan and we were able to open another relationship with a sock supplier, so our week started off pretty well.
Then on Thursday, the news reported an accident involving the loss of 9 Marines, 1 killed, 8 missing when their Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) sank during a training exercise off San Clemente Island.
The Marines were part of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines located here at Camp Pendleton at Camp Horno. Know as the “China Marines” they were assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The AAV was lost as it traveled back to the ship from the training exercise on the island in the company of other vehicles when it went down. Two Marines escaped. One Marine’s body was found. The search for the others was called off this morning. The AAV sank in about 2-300 feet of water. The search for the vehicle continues.
While we didn’t know the Marines who were lost, we are not far removed. It is a small Marine Corps. We know the Commanders of the MEU and the Regiment that they were attached to.
I don’t really think that most people are aware of the dangers that our service members face just going to work every day. For every deployment there is a months long training work up. The Marines train the way they fight and to do so they utilize live fire exercises and train with the equipment that will take them to battle, helicopters, Osprey and the AAV’s.
While most people would think that live fire is the most dangerous, they’d be wrong. The bulk of accidents occur in vehicle accidents, aircraft crashes and tragedies like the one that occurred on Thursday. How does it happen? Some people would point out to the age of the equipment, or question maintenance, or suggest command failure, most times it will come down to just bad luck.
There will be investigations and repercussions. Reports will be written, and recommendations made. But that will be in the future. There is other work that will occur today.
Today across America, uniformed Marines will knock on the doors of the families to notify them of the loss of their Marines. The Marines who were recovered will be taken to a Military mortuary to be prepared for transport and then arrangements will be made to return their remains home. During this process, the Marine will never be left alone. There is a Marine who will accompany him from the start of his journey to the finish.
The families will be assisted by a Marine Casualty Officer, who will answer their questions and help them with the funeral arrangements and benefits. The families will have Marines from their children’s units visit them and tell them about their service. While many could think that is for the families benefit, they would be wrong again. The need for comfort is mutual for both Marine and family. After all, if every Marine is their brother, then the fallen’ s parents are their parents. They will observe their loss together.
In the age of COVID-19, I don’t know about the unit memorials, but I am certain that at some point there will be a remembrance where the Marine’s names will be called, the ship’s bell rung to mark their passing, followed by the 21 gun salute.
We have reached out to our friends in the units and have offered any support that we can. But today there is grief and our request to you.
Please take a moment to remember these brave men and their families in your thoughts and prayers for comfort and solace during this time of loss. Remember the men that they served with and hope that they do not carry remorse and guilt for something that was out of their control.
And as General Patton once noted, we will not mourn their passing, but be grateful that such men lived among us if even for a short period of time.
Thanks for joining us in our position in this fight!
Jim Hogan
In memory of our son, LCPL Donald Hogan
Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
KIA 8/26/2009 Nawa, Afghanistan
We honor his memory by caring for Americans wherever they serve in harm’s way.