Remembering SPC Seth Haapanen – Casualty of war on 10-28-08

The last day Linda Haapanen saw her son Seth alive, he told her he wasn’t feeling well. So she went over and gave him a big hug. He squeezed her back. Then he rested his head in her arms.

He turned to leave, walked down the stairs and said, “I love you, Mom,” just like he would always say.

Less than 12 hours later, on October 28, 2008, Spc. Seth Haapanen took his own life.

As a soldier with the NH National Guard 237th Military Police Company, he had returned home only 4 months earlier from a year-long deployment in Iraq.

To read Seth’s story:
http://sethpaves.webs.com/nationalguardarticle.htm

To Remember is to Honor….

Marine SSgt  Allen H.  Soifert of Hollis of Nashua, New Hampshire
Date of Death: 10/14/1983
Service years: 1976 – 1983
Branch: US Marines 1982-1983, 2336, Marine Amphibious Units/Brigades (MAU/MAB)/24th MAU
Incident: Beirut, Lebanon

Read SSgt. Alen H. Soifert’s story: http://www.pacificamilitary.com/books/f-theRoot.html

Names on the Beirut Memorial: http://www.beirut-memorial.org/memory/brtnames.html

1983 – A truck filled with explosives, driven by a Moslem suicide terrorist, crashed into the U.S. Marine barracks near the Beirut International Airport in Lebanon. The bomb killed 241 Marines and sailors and injured 80. Almost simultaneously, a similar incident occurred at French military headquarters, where 58 died and 15 were injured. Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyeh was suspected of involvement. They were part of a contingent of 1,800 Marines that had been sent to Lebanon as part of a multinational force to help separate the warring Lebanese factions. Twice during the early 1980s the U.S. had deployed troops to Lebanon to deal with the fall-out from the 1982 Israeli invasion. In the first deployment, Marines helped oversee the peaceful withdrawal of the PLO from Beirut. In mid-September 1982 — after the U.S. troops had left — Israel’s Lebanese allies massacred an estimated 800 unarmed Palestinian civilians remaining in refugee camps. Following this, 1,800 Marines had been ordered back into Lebanon. The president assembled his national security team to devise a plan of military action. The planned target was the Sheik Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, Lebanon, which housed Iranian Revolutionary Guards believed to be training Hezbollah fighters. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger aborted the mission, reportedly because of his concerns that it would harm U.S. relations with other Arab nations. Instead, President Reagan ordered the battleship USS New Jersey, stationed off the coast of Lebanon, to the hills near Beirut. The move was seen as largely ineffective. Four months after the Marine barracks bombing, U.S. Marines were ordered to start pulling out of Lebanon.

To Remember is to Honor….

Remembering SPC Alan Burgess – KIA on October 15, 2004 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol vehicle while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Alan, 24, of Landaff, N.H. was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Brigade, New Hampshire Army National Guard, Woodsville, N.H. He joined the state National Guard in 2002. He was a member of Detachment 1, B Battery, based in Woodsville.

Alan was known for his big heart, his generosity and honesty. He believed that one should have fun because life is too short. In his leisure, he enjoyed outdoor events such as hunting and fishing and also computers. “He had a love for his family and for his country,” said his mother, Karen Moore. “He was looking forward to coming home and seeing his son. “He was a good boy, a good father and a wonderful son. His needs were always last — everyone else came first,” his mother said.

Alan’s faith played a big role in his life and he had begun study preparations in his goal to become a Military Chaplain. He enjoyed sharing his faith with those in Iraq. During visits to the Iraqis that he befriended he would bring candy to give away. His death had a profound effect on his comrades – they shared such a strong bond.
He brought humor, dedication and respect everywhere he went.

May God be with his mom, sisters, son, dad and all family and his many friends and brothers…especially today…may He grant them comfort and peace.

Never Forget – Honor and Remember him always….

Gold Star Dad Jim Savage with a display at the Military Appreciation Day held on October 14th at Apple Hill Orchard.

 

 

Remembering CPL Scott G. Dimond. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), New Hampshire National Guard. Scott was KIA on Oct. 13, 2008, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device and his patrol was engaged in a small-arms fire attack.

He was a lifelong resident of Franklin and a graduate of Franklin High School, Class of 1987, where he participated in the football and track and field programs. He continued his interest in football after graduation, coaching the Franklin Pop Warner team.

Scott enlisted in the Marine Corps in his senior year of high school. He was medically discharged as a result of a serious football injury. Scott decided he would still serve our citizens, but in a different capacity when he began his law enforcement career in 1988 with the Franklin Police Department, retiring as a sergeant after 18 years of service.
He enlisted in the New Hampshire National Guard in 2006 while he worked on his nursing degree, looking forward to helping others in the health-care profession. Scott was a member of the Military Forces Honor Guard, traveling statewide, honoring those who served.