SUNDAY CEREMONY A CHANCE TO THANK THE 133RD

Saturday, July 23, 2005

We hope many of you will turn out Sunday to honor more than 500 members of the 133rd Engineer Battalion who served in Iraq.

The men and women of the 133rd returned to Maine in March after spending a year helping rebuild the war-ravaged nation's schools, other essential structures, roads and bridges.

Sunday's "Freedom Salute Ceremony," scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Augusta Civic Center, is a chance to salute and thank the soldiers for their outstanding and courageous work in what has become one of the world's most dangerous places.

Members of the battalion -- the state's largest unit in the Iraqi combat zone -- certainly know they did outstanding work while stationed in Mosul. They deserve to know that others think so, too.

During its time in Iraq, the 133rd, composed of soldiers from Maine and New Hampshire, had three members killed in two attacks and several others injured, some seriously.

The ceremony is an opportunity to recognize and express sympathy for those who died: Spc. Christopher D. Gelineau, 23, of Portland; Sgt. Lynn R. Poulin Sr., 47, of Freedom; and Spc. Thomas J. Dostie, 20, of Somerville.

Gelineau was killed in a roadside ambush in April 2004.

Poulin and Dostie were among the 22 people killed last December by an insurgent strike on a mess tent as U.S. soldiers gathered for lunch at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul.

Another member of the 133rd, Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Jones, 43, of Unity, died March 3 at a New York hospital after becoming seriously ill following the 133rd's flight from Iraq to Fort Drum, N.Y.

Sunday's ceremony, sponsored by the Maine Army National Guard, is a time to show that those who made the ultimate sacrifice have not been forgotten.

It is also a chance to offer resounding applause as each soldier is presented with an encased American flag, a certificate of appreciation, a commemorative coin and a lapel insignia.

We cannot think of a better way to spend Sunday afternoon than saying thank you to the proud, brave men and women of the 133rd Engineer Battalion.