Remembering CPL Michael Ouellette ~ NH Hero

Remembering CPL Michael Ouellette – KIA 3-22-09 in Afghanistan he was 28 year old, of Manchester, N.H.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; while supporting combat operations. He trained as an infantryman and served two tours in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan in November 2008. Mike was the kind of person that if you ever had the pleasure to meet, you would never forget. He was genuine, kind, down to earth, and he always knew how to have a good time. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

This is from his mom, Donna: “Michael loved the outdoors, hiking with friends in the the beautiful White Mountains. He enjoyed traveling, had a wicked sense of humor and was very outgoing, making new friends wherever he went. He was very insightful and concerned about not only major issues like politics and the environment, but also about people and how/why they should get involved in helping to make this a better place t live. He would go out of his way to help someone who needed a helping hand. His biggest passion was food – creating new recipes, going to culinary school, and firmly believed that no one in this country should go hungry or be homeless. He was a true and loyal friend, always finding a way to inspire others to be part of something bigger than themselves.”

Michael Ouellette will forever be remembered as a brave and courageous hero who sacrificed his life for the freedom of others. For his conspicuous gallantry, bold leadership, wise judgment, complete dedication to duty, displaying exceptional valor in combat by leading his Marines in a gun battle in Afghanistan, even after suffering a mortal wound, Cpl. Ouellette was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the highest award presented by the Department of the Navy and the military’s second highest award for valor next to the Medal of Honor.

Michael was a squad leader in 1st Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, from Camp Lejeune, N.C. On March 22, 2009, his unit was in its fifth month on the ground in the Now Zad district in northern Helmand province.

Almost two hours into a foot patrol, which began in the morning at Forward Operating Base A.P. Hill, Ouellette was wounded by the blast of an improvised explosive device that detonated under his feet.

As the dust settled, the gunfire began from enemy positions a few meters away, and Ouellette lay bleeding in a crater.

Gaining their bearings, the Marines of 1st Platoon scrambled to lay down suppressing fire and Cpl. Jesse Raper, a squad automatic machine gunner, pulled Ouellette, who was conscious and breathing, out of the crater. Together they began to apply tourniquets and Ouellette stayed in charge, said Hospitalman 3rd Class Matthew Nolen, who ran to Ouellette’s side within moments.

With the lower half of his left leg gone and his right upper thigh and groin area ripped through with shrapnel, Ouellette knew there was no time to waste. He calmly took charge of his squad’s response to the enemy ambush.

“When I get there, he’s still calling out orders, he’s still telling the radio operator what to call in for helos, what to call in for mortars, calling his evac nine-line in and making sure that his assistant team leader, Lance Cpl. Rupert, has everything under control,” Nolen said.

But Ouellette’s time was slipping away. As a quick-reaction force sped toward the ambush site, having been hampered by additional IEDs along the route, he was taken by ground ambulance to a casualty evacuation landing zone about two kilometers away. And, according to Nolen, Ouellette was still breathing and conscious when the bird took off.

“I’m proud of my Marines,” were the last words Nolen heard Ouellette say as he waited for that bird.

TO REMEMBER IS TO HONOR…

Remembering Sgt. David Stelmat ~ NH Hero

Sgt. David “DJ” Stelmat, 27, was KIA on 3-22-2008, in Iraq as a result of a roadside bomb while serving as a medic in the 237 Military Police Company.

Stelmat was a former U.S. Army infantryman who fought on the front lines in Afghanistan. He later traded his weapon for a first-aid kit as a medic with the New Hampshire Army National Guard in Iraq.

His mom, Maryanne, told me that she “would like people to remember his smile and the glint of mischief in his eye.” “My son was a well loved and respected young man.” “I was truly blessed. He was the best son a mom could ever, ever have had.” “He always wanted to help others. Perhaps what most distinguished D.J. as a person was the way he was connected. Not only to his family and his friends, but to the world he lived in.”

He loved the outdoors and for 3 years he choose to live in a humble 10×10 cabin in the woods of Franconia because he wanted to see what it was like to live like Daniel Boone.

David and his friends were responsible for a widely circulated photograph after the 2001 terrorist attacks. They climbed to the top of the Old Man in the Mountain to hang a huge American flag from the granite profile. He went back later to retrieve it, but not before some photos were made into posters memorializing the moment.

He was expected to return from Iraq after 15 month deployment and resume his studies at the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord and become a Physician’s Assistant.

May God be with Maryanne and the rest of the family bringing them comfort, especially today.

TO REMEMBER IS TO HONOR…

Remembering SPC Jesse Conger ~ NH Hero

SPC Jesse Conger was killed in a training accident on 3-22-02 at Ft. Lewis, Washington. A letter sent to his parents, Jeff and Ann, had this from his Commander…”I will always remember Jesse as an important member of Charlie Company. As his Commander, I can tell you this Company was great because of his efforts. Jesse touched all our lives. I distinctly remember Jesse’s constant grin that he carried with him everywhere. His joyful expressions and sharp mind were always present and made each of us in Charlie Company a little bit better for having known him.”

His mom, Ann, said “he enjoyed computers and soccer. He gave up a well paying job in computers to join the military because he wanted to serve his country and see the world.”

“God gave me Jesse for 22 years and I think Him for that.” His dad, Jeff, received a letter from Jesse after he enlisted. On it he said things to his dad that were ‘easier on paper.” “I wanted to say that you are the best dad a guy can wish for.”

On Memorial Day, 2009, the bridge in Barrington spanning the Isinglass River on Rt. 202 was renamed the Specialist Jesse Conger Memorial Bridge.

May God be with his parents, especially today, bringing them comfort.

TO REMEMBER IS TO HONOR…