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Final Respects
Members of the 3rd Special Forces Group pay final respects to their fallen teammate killed in action in Niger. SSG Bryan Black was interred at at Arlington National Cemetery 30 October 2017. Members were seen removing their dress Special Forces Tabs and/or their Ranger Tabs in order press them into the top of the casket in honor of their teammate. The cost is high.
Deeply sad – yet your post as to why our troops are around the world in the places they are, to keep evil there instead of in our country, is made all the more poignant this week in Manhattan. It is important work, and we are so grateful for the sacrifice that our soldiers make – I just wish it was a more perfect world – no ISIS or Islamic extremism, no NK dictators, that things would calm down – in a more perfect world. Make God rest his soul.
God Bless all those boys and the family of their fallen brother. Bonded in eternity to a life cut short.
These men volunteer for work that most of us would or could never do. They choose to step into the void, protecting us from the evil that seeks to destroy our freedom.
They are an amazingly courageous group of men, a minority of our society but I believe the greatest men our nation has ever produced. I’ve been privileged to meet a number of Special Forces operators, both retired and active, during my son’s journey to Marine enlistment. They are a different breed.
It hurts to lose one. It angers me to see the enemy win. It’s hard to see our greatest men go down. I hope we never forget them.
RIP, SSG Bryan Black. May you find peace in the afterlife. May it be everything you deserve, and everything you’ve earned.
Rest in peace, and may those that loved you, and your comrades in arms find peace.
Thanks FSC, I wish it wasn’t important work, but I believe due to the human condition that brave men will always have a watch to stand.
Thanks Doc and they are hanging tough – together.
Thanks livingthehighlife for acknowledging their unique sacrifice. God speed to your son and Semper Fi.
Thanks for showing us and reminding us what eternal honor and devotion look like, Dajoho. This post is Ricochet at its best.
Valor always triumphs over vainglory, though the price is unimaginably dear…Rest easy, in peace and honor, SSG Black! May your family and comrades be strengthened and consoled by your example – and by one another. We will remember…
Amen to all of the prayers above.
Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithfully departed, rest in peace.
It’s not important work, it’s essential work. Without these guys sticking their necks out for us I’m convinced we wouldn’t have much of a country left. We will always live in a very imperfect world in which evil is constantly trying to cause harm and destroy. This will never change. I just hope that there will always be guys on our side like these.
My heartfelt gratitude to these men and my deepest sympathies to the families of the fallen, all of whom have sacrificed so much so that we can sit here comfortably, typing comments on Ricochet.
I’m sure there are enough other soldiers on Ricochet to set me straight if they disagree, but whenever I see a picture like the one that appears on this Post, it makes me quite angry. These men have gathered in an extremely personal moment to pay their respects to a fallen soldier and friend. Meanwhile, over by the trees, some jerk is interrupting their moment, snapping away with his camera. It disgusts me. I don’t care if a cemetery is considered a public place, that shouldn’t give anyone the right to intrude on someone’s grief.
JTP not sure if you angry that the picture was taken or that I posted it. For the record I found it online after attending the interment. I am personally involved and most of my posts on this have been not main feed, feel free to look at my previous posts for that connection, I opted to keep it out of the bigger Ricochet. The most poignant moment for me was when the team first approached the casket and saluted in unison – it was a beautiful moment. My intent was to ensure people understand that this is real, that real people, the best of our nation as far as I’m concerned, are involved and will stay involved despite this loss. I also believe this picture captured the moment without violating my own boundary (and there is most definitely a boundary that would make me angry) and I made the call to put it up on Ricochet. For what it’s worth.
No sir, I was not criticizing you at all and I am sorry I did not make that clear. You made a beautiful, wonderful post and I thank you very much for posting it. As a veteran, I fully understood your narrative.
My comment was only about people who intrude on private, personal moments and start snapping pictures.
I first started feeling this way maybe 5 years ago when I saw a picture on CNN or maybe WaPo of a woman at her fallen husband’s grave having a breakdown. I wanted to go find the photographer and scream at him, “Do you point your camera through her bedroom window as she cries herself to sleep, too?”
It’s just a button on me that gets pushed too easily, I guess.
JcT, I avoid Memorial Day, etc. on most sites, too…ST made me conscious of the hurt some time ago. This strikes me as different: an extended family member inviting us to “come-with”; an honor for the Ricochetti, it seems to me…
Thank you for posting. I think it is good to see and experience the human side of the gifts of freedom and liberty.
That said, reading posts such as this always leave me feeling inadequate … I simply can never find the words that are capable of fully expressing the depth of my gratitude or sense of loss.
God’s Blessings on them and their families.
You’re right, let’s just wipe this guy off Ricochet. [Self-redacted my threadjack to honor this great Post.]
Edit caused a double post, sorry…
I don’t wanna make it about ‘this guy’; he doesn’t deserve it….
JTP, I agree and therein lies the boundary, that would definitely make me angry. And I don’t feel criticized at all. It’s not the picture you have just anger with, it’s those who would intrude on personal things, completely understandable. And we are just talking here, one of the things I like about Ricochet is that we can have these discussions and even if we disagree we can still be civil if not friends of sorts.
Thanks TT, me too. How do we live and how does our country conduct itself worthy of these men and their sacrifices. I fear it will never be enough.
Thanks NP, and I appreciate your input. For me it’s about acknowledging and honoring the sacrifice and most definitely not about the “this guy” – you’r absolutely right – he doesn’t deserve it.