Memorial Day is meant to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service for our country. For some reason people have begun to treat this day as another Veteran's Day. According to the Veteran's Affairs, Memorial Day is a federal holiday "which is observed on the last Monday of May" and "commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service."
SMU ROTC
Today I would like to remember and honor my friend, by fraternity brother and brother in arms, LTC. Eric Kruger. Kruger (no one ever called him Eric) met on the campus of Southern Methodist University sometime in the Fall of 1985. I was one of two students in the newly created Army ROTC program on the campus of SMU. Actually we were a satellite of the University of Texas at Arlington program. At the time, Kruger was a cadet in the Air Force ROTC program at the University of North Texas. When you are two of only a handful of guys wearing military uniforms on the campus you notice each other. One day Kruger and I struck up a conversation about the new Army ROTC program. Eventually, I recruited Kruger to transferr over to the Army program.
Position of a Tin Can
One of the things I remember most about Kruger was his great sense of humor. While we were never in the same military education classes, we were both members of the UTA Insurgency Team, a group that would get together on weekends and practice infantry tactics. One weekend, the upper class-man in charge kept barking his order to attention by improperly saying "position of attention," and it also sounded like he was saying "tin can." Finally, Kruger had enough of this and the next time the cadet called out "position of a tin can," Kruger dropped into a squatting position and extended his arms out making a circle in front of his body. Asked what he was doing, he replied he was in the position of a tin can. All of us in ranks busted out laughing.
Pikes and Pancho's
Kruger was also my fraternity brother. We were part of the same Pi Kappa Alpha pledge class. We were a small group and Kruger emerged as our leader. We all grew together during our time as pledges. We grew even closer as brothers. Whether it was putting on Shrimp Fest to benefit the Big Brothers or bowling for our only intramural championship, Kruger was there. My fondest memory is of all of us going to Pancho's Mexican Buffet on Wednesday nights for dinner. Kruger called it Rauchos, but he sure could pack away their food. Later, Kruger would become the Pledge Master of a future class of pledges. His care for those pledges gave us all glimpse of how well he would take care of his troops.
Naturally Gifted Soldier
Kruger and I lost touch with each other after we graduated from SMU. I somehow knew he would make Army his life. During his twenty years in the Army, he served in Korea, Bahrain, Africa, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Among the many accommodations he received, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. At his memorial, his unit commander Colonel Jeffrey Bannister, called Kruger a leader who was "naturally gifted with people, and could make soldiers and civilians alike feel welcome and at ease." That says it all.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
On November 2, 2006, Lt. Col. Eric Kruger was killed by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Baghdad. Kruger had only been in Iraq for a few days as he and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were relieving the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Also killed in the same explosion were Lt. Col. Paul J. Finken and Staff Sergeant Joseph A. Gage. Kruger and Finken are two of the highest ranking officers to be killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In Honor of Army LTC Eric Kruger from AFSProject on Vimeo.
Mercy Hour
According to the Veteran's Administration, U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, in December 2000. This Act encourages everyone to stop what their doing and take a minute of silence at 3PM on Memorial Day to remember all the soldiers who have died in service to the nation. I don't think it is accident that the time chosen to recall the fallen soldiers is the Divine Mercy Hour. Instead of just taking a moment of silence, how about praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for all the military families who have lost a loved one?
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