RIP Cpt. George A Wood

[lance]

Hey all,

Been away for a bit, madly packing in advance of my move.

Last Friday night on ABC's nightline Ted Koppel read the names of all of the American servicemen & women who have lost their lives in Iraq.

My brother, Paul, was watching when he heard the name of his good friend Cpt. George A Wood who was killed on November 20th, 2003.

Being somewhat the shutter bug Paul remembered that I had taken photos of him and George during their time at Ft Bragg & Ft. Knox.

Paul alerted me to the following site where people post their memories of the fallen.

http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/chronlist.html

You click on the soliders names and you can read more about them.

Here is what Paul had to say about George:

"I did not learn of George's death until last night while watching the tribute to the Fallen. In my mind, George is still with us and right where I left him that last time we spoke (smiling at Lisa in a Burger King at Fort Knox) I got to know George twice during my Army career and feel twice blessed for having met, trained with, and studied along with George over the years. George was my "battle-buddy" at ROTC Advanced Camp at Ft Bragg in 1996. I can't get two images of him from that experience off my mind. The first is this really huge sand table that George built for me when it was my turn to lead. He just said "Don't worry I'll have everything ready for you when you have to brief." Sure enough he did. When I got to the briefing area it was like looking at some Star Wars or James Bond scale model with all the bells and whistles. George didn't just make circles in the sand, he built a scale city of our training course with a functional "slide for life."

The next image I have is of graduation day at Advanced Camp. George was our platoon honor graduate, and I was his second. I stood next to George holding the guidon as he stood in command of all the cadets in our group. I have to say that felt really good to me...to be there following George's lead. He had such a gracious and steadfast personality that I'm sure that was exactly how his soldiers felt about him as a leader later on in his career.

I met George again at Fort Knox as he was finishing Armor Officer Basic. He was still the leader I remember, still the student of history and the world.

The world is certainly a better place for George's efforts, and I feel we are less than whole without him.

As a veteran, I acknowledge the dedication and sacrifice of heroes like George who act selflessly to keep our nation safe and improve the life of total strangers. That is exactly who George was; a kind, generous leader who put other's needs ahead of his own. As a friend, I am very angry that I will not be able to speak to George again, to talk about history, leadership, and old times.

I miss you buddy. God Bless."
Paul Vera CPT, AR (R) of Las Vegas NV

What I remember about George was that he was incredibly brillant, well spoken guy. What I did not know was that,

"He was an avid historian who loved Roman history and even discovered a Roman fortress outside Regensburg, Germany. This discovery resulted in an offer from the local university of an advanced degree, which he had to turn down to attend the Armor Officer Advance Course."

I highly recommend this site if you want read about what the soliders friends and loved ones felt about George and the others who have fallen. As for myself I continue to pray for these men, women and their families.

-LanceMan