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PORTIONS OF BAGHDAD'S "FREEDOM REST" NOW MEMORIALIZE SOLDIERS KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY

V Corps Release

Release Date: 3/25/2004

By Spc. Andy Miller 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- With the dedication of a plaque bearing the name of V Corps' Pfc. Rachel Bosveld, "Freedom Rest" here became something more than an R&R stop for U.S. troops. It's now also a memorial to fallen Soldiers.

Bosveld served in Iraq last year with the corps' 527th Military Police Company, based in Giessen, Germany, providing security for the Abu Ghuraib district police station and training Iraqi Police Service officers.

The 19-year-old Wisconsin native earned her first Purple Heart Medal when her vehicle was hit by enemy fire during a patrol mission in Abu Ghuraib. Six weeks later, Bosveld was mortally wounded when her Humvee came under mortar fire. She was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and a second Purple Heart.

At the March 21 dedication ceremony, an apartment building on the former Republican Guard compound now known as Freedom Rest was renamed in Bosveld's memory. A plaque bearing her name is now a permanent part of the building's throughway.

Following the dedication ceremony for Bosveld, a service of remembrance was held for all the Soldiers of the corps' Task Force 1st Armored Division who have lost their lives in Iraq. A second memorial plaque bearing their names was unveiled in the main Freedom Rest building.

"A memorial ceremony is an opportunity to pay honor and respect to fallen comrades. And it's a traditional military event that gives the Soldiers an opportunity to bid farewell, express their emotional grief and convey their love and support to other Soldiers," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Alvin C. Sykes, the division's chaplain.

"This was a combined memorial service to recognize the total price paid by Task Force 1st Armored Division Soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom," he said.

"As 1st Armored Division prepares to redeploy back to their home station in Germany, it is appropriate for the division to pay homage to the Soldiers who paid the ultimate price for their country," he said.

"It's a tough ceremony. We are talking about the young lives that have been sacrificed willingly for a fight against terrorism; a fight to bring dignity to other people, and a fight to protect many of the folks back home," said Brig. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, 1st Armored Division's assistant division commander for support. "Every single one of these individuals was in the early part of their lives."

Hertling said these Soldiers are fondly remembered by their units and comrades in arms.

"They are always the ones with the smiles on their faces. Always the ones that are willing to give you anything," he said. "They are the ones that perk up a squad or a platoon. The loss of that to this world is just devastating, but they are doing it for a reason that's bigger than each one of them."

Ceremonies like the memorial ensure that fallen Soldiers will not be forgotten, Hertling said. Other troops who visit Freedom Rest will now have an opportunity to reflect on their commitment to the cause of Iraqi freedom and to their fellow Soldiers.

"While these Soldiers are in reflection, the plaque will help them to remember that we must go on," Sykes said. "It will help them remember that we must finish this fight because of those who paid the ultimate price."