Neary-Sighted

It's taken me forever to figure out the technical issues, but I finally wanted to share a couple of neat excerpts from a recent City Council meeting that you should be able to listen to on your computer. By way of context, I am going to grab a story from the Northwest Guardian and paste it below.

The short version is that the 4-2 Stryker Brigade soldiers have been volunteering in Lakewood for many months as part of a military 'community connector' program. Now, most of them are overseas. The community connector program builds connections between members of the military, who come from many different parts of our land, and people in local communities. I had the pleasure of working with some young men from the Stryker Brigade who participated in last year's Parks Appreciation Day. They were repositioning headstones in the old patient cemetery for Western State. Given their work there, it is thus extra sad for me to contemplate that some of these soldiers now themselves rest in a cemetery for sad reasons.

As the 4-2 begins a long road abroad, our council presented representatives with a proclamation. Councilman Doug Richardson, who is a general in the Reserves, read the proclamation. Doug announced we will forever memorialize the names of the dead at our veterans memorial at City Hall.

Then Maj. Chad Sundem of the 4-2 made what I thought were extremely astute remarks as someone who lived in Lakewood 10 years ago, and lives here again today. That's the main reason I have put some audio files below.

So, and this is a first for me so I hope it works, here are some audio files you can listen to on your computer. Let me know if they don't work (heck, let me know if they do work!)

Comments by Councilman Doug Richardson in WAV (Windows Media Player) format
Comments by Councilman Doug Richardson in mp3 format

Comments by Maj. Chad Sundem of the 4-2 Stryker Brigade in WAV (Windows) format
Comments by Maj. Chad Sundem in mp3 format

Meanwhile, here's that story from the Northwest Guardian (original at http://www.nwguardian.com/news/story/6542900p-5822654c.html )

City of Lakewood proclaims support for Soldiers’ efforts

Neighboring city issues proclamation honoring 4th Bde., 2nd Inf. Div. troops

By Don Kramer, Northwest Guardian
Published: June 7th, 2007 12:31 PM

With troops in harms way, the city of Lakewood Monday night honored Soldiers in general and one Fort Lewis brigade in particular.

At a city council meeting, member and military liaison Doug Richardson read a proclamation of support for the city’s community connector partner, the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. In it, the council proclaimed “the next year as a time of continued support and special friendship” with the Dragoon Raider Brigade.

Representing the brigade were rear detachment commander, Maj. Chad Sundem, rear detachment sergeant major, 1st Sgt. Max McLaughlin and Stacey Lehr, wife of the brigade commander, Col. Jon Lehr.

Richardson, a reserve general officer, thanked the Stryker brigade’s representatives for their Soldiers’ efforts on behalf of their adoptive community.

“I want to say a word about the community connector program,” Richardson said. “We’ve been aligned with 4th Brigade since they stood up: you talk about “Make a Difference Day,” the activities in building a playground at Fort Steilacoom Park, any number of items. The chief of police could talk about programs they’re involved with as well. They’ve done an awful lot of work in connecting with the city of Lakewood.”

The brigade deployed to Iraq a month ago and elements immediately engaged the enemy in Baghdad and Diyala Province northeast of the capital city reaching all the way to the Iranian border. Richardson said the Lakewood council’s gesture arose from its Soldiers’ and families’ support of the city, but also out of the desire to commemorate the sacrifices its members are making on behalf of the country.

“Now the brigade finds itself in Iraq for 15 months supporting our nation and certainly our city,” Richardson said, “so we, the council, thought it appropriate to recognize the 4th of the 2nd with a proclamation this evening and to recognize how much they meant and will mean to this community as they endure on Fort Lewis.”

Mayor Claudia B. Thomas spoke before the meeting of the need to support the brigade’s family members while its Soldiers are deployed.

“It’s very significant,” said Thomas. “The connector is very important. We want to work closely with their families. We know they’re going to have certain needs. We just want to partner with them and do what we can to make our community, our city and our area as friendly as possible.” The current conflict brings a special sense of urgency for Lakewood’s council to help military families, the mayor said.

“It could not be more critical to do whatever we can as a community to support their efforts,” Thomas said. “They’re protecting our country as well as our city. We want to do what we can to make their stay in our community as comfortable as possible and to see that their needs are met. We build relationships and collaborate with them to see how we can make not just our area but the whole country better.”

The 4th Bde. commander spoke to his wife from Iraq recently about the proclamation.

“He thinks it’s great,” Stacey Lehr said.

“He listed four priorities, and of all the things he said, one of them was to make sure that the community connector program is at the top of our list,” Sundem said.

The rear detachment commander accepted the proclamation for the brigade and thanked the city for its support.

“They are our extended family to a degree,” said Sundem. “We want to get them involved. There’s a lot of pressure on these families and a lot of pressure on us. Any extra hands and team members we can get, we’re happy to have.”

The council reserved a place on the wall outside its chamber for photos of the 4th Bde. command team, Lehr and Command Sgt. Major John Troxell.

When the brigade returns, the city will also dedicate a portion of the veteran’s memorial at the front of the building with its unit crest and memorialize those killed in action, all with their own bricks in the sidewalk.
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