Missouri Guard dedicates headquarters auditorium to fallen comrades

By: Lt. John Quin
Missouri National Guard Public Affairs






JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Dozens of Missouri National Guard Soldiers and Airmen joined the state chaplain and adjutant general in dedicating the headquarters auditorium to their fallen comrades in a solemn ceremony at the Ike Skelton Training Site on Friday.

During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner paid tribute to the 11 Guardsmen killed since September 11, 2001 and those who serve in uniform today.

"We all knew what we were doing when we signed up," Danner said. "At 18, we were bulletproof. We didn't think about death or destruction; we just want to serve our country. As we get older and reenlist, we recognize that those are possibilities."

Missouri has lost 11 National Guard members since Overseas Contingency Operations began in 2001. Most recently, on May 14, Sgt. Denis D. Kisseloff, of the 1141st Engineer Company (Sapper), was killed serving in Afghanistan.

Col. Gary Gilmore, the state chaplain, said it is important for Guardsmen to honor the fallen. He encouraged attendees to pause for a national moment of reflection at 3 p.m. on Monday. Gilmore said the true meaning of Memorial Day was brought home for him when he had a chance encounter with a lady who had lost her son during the 1983 invasion of Grenada.

"That's 27 years without graduations, without weddings, without visits from grandchildren," Gilmore said.

Gilmore said he hopes the Fallen Warrior Memorial Auditorium will remind Guardsmen and others who use the building of the sacrifices made by the state's Soldiers and Airmen.

"As we walk through this hallway, that name - the Fallen Warrior Memorial Auditorium - will stick out in our minds," Gilmore said.

Danner said the auditorium will be used for annual remembrances of Guardsmen who have given everything for their country.

"There will be services, remembrances and memorials every year from now forward," Danner said. "This is what we are about. We are all willing to do whatever we have to do to accomplish our mission."

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Posted: 5/28/2010 3:49:38 PM