NcDeuce
04-16-2004, 08:58 PM
I saw headlines the day this was reported and had a bad feeling it was 5th Group...
Green Beret slain in Iraq led his troops with compassion
Sgt. Maj. Michael Stack lived the life he loved -- the life of a Green Beret.
Those who spoke at a memorial service to honor the 5th Special Forces Group member -- killed during an ambush outside Baghdad on Easter Sunday -- described Stack as a soldier's soldier who died an honorable death and who looked out for others.
"He had no enemies and would do anything he could for anyone," said his brother, Cecil Stack, a retired Army sergeant major. "Mike led from the front and led with compassion."
Cecil Stack recalls the last time he spoke with his brother and warned him to be careful in Iraq.
"He said, 'Don't worry I know what I'm doing. I need to do my mission and bring soldiers home.' I have his memories," Cecil Stack said. "Everyone he touched he left a memory."
Fort Campbell's Memorial Chapel was filled to capacity and overflowed into the gymnasium next door, with hundreds of Special Forces soldiers watching the service on two large screens.
The ceremony concluded with a solemn version of "Amazing Grace," played on bagpipes by retired Special Forces soldier Master Sgt. Merritt Powell. Last roll call, the firing of volleys, taps and the "Ballad of the Green Beret" also roused emotion.
Michael Stack, 48, had been in the Army for nearly 28 years. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, six children and three grandchildren.
In a prepared statement, Mrs. Stack asked the community to continue to pray for the safety of those service members in Iraq and Afghanistan and to pray for their families.
"Our soldiers are doing so much good in Iraq and ... Mike believed that the Iraqi people appreciate our efforts to make their country a better place for their families," she said in the statement.
"When someone in your unit dies, it brings it home," 5th Group spokesman Maj. Jim Whatley said. "It re-emphasizes the job and the importance of the mission."
Stack will be buried at Arlington Cemetery at the end of this month.
http://www.jenmartinez.com/images/sgmstack.jpg
SGM Stack served w/ the 3rd, 5th, and 10th Special Forces Groups. Also served w/ the 1st Special Warfare Training Group.
R.I.P. http://www.gablesn.com/ribbon1.jpg
Green Beret slain in Iraq led his troops with compassion
Sgt. Maj. Michael Stack lived the life he loved -- the life of a Green Beret.
Those who spoke at a memorial service to honor the 5th Special Forces Group member -- killed during an ambush outside Baghdad on Easter Sunday -- described Stack as a soldier's soldier who died an honorable death and who looked out for others.
"He had no enemies and would do anything he could for anyone," said his brother, Cecil Stack, a retired Army sergeant major. "Mike led from the front and led with compassion."
Cecil Stack recalls the last time he spoke with his brother and warned him to be careful in Iraq.
"He said, 'Don't worry I know what I'm doing. I need to do my mission and bring soldiers home.' I have his memories," Cecil Stack said. "Everyone he touched he left a memory."
Fort Campbell's Memorial Chapel was filled to capacity and overflowed into the gymnasium next door, with hundreds of Special Forces soldiers watching the service on two large screens.
The ceremony concluded with a solemn version of "Amazing Grace," played on bagpipes by retired Special Forces soldier Master Sgt. Merritt Powell. Last roll call, the firing of volleys, taps and the "Ballad of the Green Beret" also roused emotion.
Michael Stack, 48, had been in the Army for nearly 28 years. He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, six children and three grandchildren.
In a prepared statement, Mrs. Stack asked the community to continue to pray for the safety of those service members in Iraq and Afghanistan and to pray for their families.
"Our soldiers are doing so much good in Iraq and ... Mike believed that the Iraqi people appreciate our efforts to make their country a better place for their families," she said in the statement.
"When someone in your unit dies, it brings it home," 5th Group spokesman Maj. Jim Whatley said. "It re-emphasizes the job and the importance of the mission."
Stack will be buried at Arlington Cemetery at the end of this month.
http://www.jenmartinez.com/images/sgmstack.jpg
SGM Stack served w/ the 3rd, 5th, and 10th Special Forces Groups. Also served w/ the 1st Special Warfare Training Group.
R.I.P. http://www.gablesn.com/ribbon1.jpg