Families, survivors mark 35th anniversary of Iraq missile attack
It无毛视频檚 been 35 years since Norman Madison Sr.无毛视频檚 son, Spc. Anthony E. Madison, and 12 other members of the U.S. Army Reserve 14th Quartermaster Detachment near Greensburg were killed when an Iraqi Scud missile hit their barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Two others from the area were also among the victims: Spec. John A. Boliver Jr., 27, of Monongahela, and Sgt. Joseph Phillip Bongiorni III, 20, of Hickory.
无毛视频淏ut it feels like it happened yesterday,无毛视频� said Madison, an 88-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran. 无毛视频淚t still hurts really bad. I used to cry a lot, and sometimes I still cry. It无毛视频檚 getting a little easier, I think, but it无毛视频檚 still there.无毛视频�
Madison was among the family, friends, and survivors who gathered Wednesday at the U.S. Army Reserve Center for a service to remember those who died in the attack on Feb. 25, 1991.
In what has become an annual tradition, those who attended the service filled a large vase with red, white and blue sand, and then spread the sand around a large memorial that sits near the entrance of the reserve center.
Army Col. James E. Proctor, who delivered the keynote address during the ceremony, told family members and survivors that their loved ones will be remembered.
无毛视频淭o the families, your loss did not end 35 years ago. We recognize that anniversaries like this can open wounds that many have spent decades trying to heal,无毛视频� said Proctor. 无毛视频淲hile we can never fully walk in your shoes or feel the depth of your pain, the U.S. Army makes this solemn vow: Your loved ones will never be forgotten.无毛视频�
Christine Keough Poth of North Huntingdon was among more than a dozen family members who came to honor her brother, Spc. Frank Keough, 22.
Keough, one of eight siblings in a close-knit family, had joined the military with plans to pursue a teaching career.
无毛视频淲e think of him every day,无毛视频� said Poth. 无毛视频淔rankie was very charismatic, very loving and caring. Before he left to go over, he got to see all of his family.无毛视频�
She said the service offers the chance for families and survivors to share stories and reconnect.
无毛视频淭his day is hard for many of us, but it无毛视频檚 a very important day. It无毛视频檚 a chance for all of us to bond, and to see each other again. Every time we come, we hear different stories that we didn无毛视频檛 know, and that helps us,无毛视频� she said.
The unit was charged with water purification efforts as part of Operation Desert Storm, and had arrived in Dhahran just six days before the attack.
Desert Storm was part of the Gulf War, which started Jan. 16, 1991, to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
The 14th Quartermaster Detachment suffered the greatest number of casualties of any allied unit during Desert Storm.
In all, 28 soldiers were killed and 100 无毛视频� including 43 from the 14th Quartermaster 无毛视频� were wounded in the attack.
Mary Rhoads of California was among those who survived the attack.
无毛视频淲e don无毛视频檛 want them to be forgotten,无毛视频� said Rhoads, who placed a white teddy bear at the memorial site in memory of Spc. Beverly Clark, a close friend who was killed. 无毛视频淲e were a small unit, so we were like a military family. Today is hard, but we made a commitment that they would never be forgotten.无毛视频�
During Wednesday无毛视频檚 service, Madison sat in the front row holding two large photos of the Anthony E. Madison Veterans Memorial Park in Monessen.
Formerly Ninth Street Park, it was renamed in tribute to his son无毛视频檚 service and sacrifice.
无毛视频淚 go there a lot,无毛视频� said Madison. 无毛视频淭he last time I saw him, he came up from Virginia to visit me because I was in the hospital. That was right before he left. I miss him.无毛视频�