Eleven days ago (May 17th), in Jacksonville, Alabama a young warrior was laid to rest. His name is Kyle A. Comfort. He was killed approximately two weeks before in combat in Afghanistan. Captain Comfort is survived by his wife of five years and their six month old daughter. When he was killed he was serving with D Company 3rd/75th Ranger Regiment.
What follows is a blog read at his eulogy and was written by him as a young 2LT in the 2nd BDE of the 101st Airborne in Iraq about two years ago. It is one of the most profound descriptions of our soldierly bonds I've ever seen.
Blog of CPT Kyle A. Comfort:
Thursday, January 31, 2008 Distance means nothing Current mood: grateful to all. I'm not really a blog kind of person but I figured I would give it a shot. There are a few things that run across my mind regularly while serving in Iraq, and oddly enough I just happen to have a way to put it down in "writing."
You can read it in books, you can see it on TV, you can see it in the newspapers, but unless you have actually been here to watch these few, these happy few, who day after day put themselves at risk to complete the mission then you could never truly understand their sacrifices. Some don't know what the mission is in the grand scheme, some don't even care, but regardless they will complete it with honor. Everyday I wake up to see these men of Bravo company take another step closer to freedom.
Not just freedom for themselves, for you or for me, but for the people of Iraq.
They have left it all behind, some for a 2nd and 3rd time, and they conduct each day with nothing more than a guarantee that tomorrow is one day closer to home. They complain not about being here, not about why we're here, not even about how many times they have been here. Their complaints are usually that the water they shaved with this morning was cold, assuming they were given the opportunity to shave.
I can stare any one of these men in the face and read the story of what it is to serve honorably.
Missing my incredibly supportive wife I can handle waking up each day to see these heroes driving on as if this day was the greatest day. They ask nothing of their leaders except the truth. Listening to encouraging words will no longer be necessary for me when it gets hard in life for I have the experiences of Bravo company to help drive me on. I did not KNOW honor until I served with these soldiers. I am truly a blessed man who has been given all that I have ever asked. My reward is to have this opportunity to serve along side them.
Some of these men are no more than 17 or 18 years of age but make no mistake for they are as much a man as any one person you know. Words can never convey what these men do each day.
I did not know what to expect when I came to Iraq. I did not understand my place on the battlefield in the current fight and I certainly did not understand entirely what it would mean to serve along side America's finest. I believe I now know my role and it is a role I take very seriously. I will do whatever it takes to get all these men home safely and back to their families. Every time I leave the wire I know they are watching out for me. Sometimes I can tell they are watching out for me more so than they are for themselves. At first I thought it was because I was a Lieutenant, and maybe so at first, but not anymore. Now they do it because I am one of them ..... Bravo company.
To all who know me, you know that I love my wife, my family, and my soldiers more than anything. If you have never had the opportunity to serve along side them I implore you speak to them. He is not a robot anymore than anyone else, but if you attack him, his instincts will seem almost reflexive in nature. America, sleep sound tonight. The soldiers of Bravo company will tuck you in with the power of freedom and all that it offers. They will ask nothing of you and it is likely they never will.
When you see these few, these happy few, tell them you love them for their sacrifice and that you slept well tonight.
Kyle A. Comfort, 2LT FA Bravo Co. FSO 2-502D IN REGT
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE
CPT Kyle A. Comfort
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