Posted on 11/23/2004 4:46:34 AM PST by bitt
HAVERHILL -- Called by a sense of duty following the World Trade Center attacks, Dimitrios Gavriel left behind his career as a Wall Street analyst, joined the Marines, and shipped out to Iraq. There he went to the front lines as a lance corporal a decade older than most of his comrades
Last week, Gavriel, 29, was killed in fierce fighting in Fallujah.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
good points; but who's to say that - in the same sense that a growing and active conservative presence on campus hasn't begun the process of defeating the arrogant & cowardly collective - our being hard does not also serve the same ends?
CGVet58
"standing for freedom & against tyranny to the moment I draw my last breath... and beyond!"
Surely God, who loves us so dearly that He gave his only begotten Son that we may live, does have a place in heaven for this good man who chose to fight for freedom. Greater love hath no man, that he give his life for another.
This I fervently and completely believe with every fiber and thought of my existence... and I can only imagine the joyous welcome Gavriel recieves from his brothers who have gone before him.
CGVet58
Semper Fi. Always faithful. To death and beyond.
I have been unbelieveably impressed with the caliber and moral certitude of the military people I have ever met, both past (WWII and K)(VVets) vets and the all-volunteer professionals we see in action today. I join you in praying that this soldier and all the others we have lost have found a peaceful place where they will forever enjoy health, energy, and goodness.
And pray that we get to see them again, so we can tell them that we cared.
This man died a true hero.
Dimitrios Gavriel was a Marine, not a soldier.
Patently false statement. See link http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/06.10/14-rotc.html
I have mixed feelings about all that actually. I wonder how many of them actually went down to the recruiting station and signed on the dotted line. I have a lot more respect for those risking their lives in Iraq--regardless of ideology--than I do for those of military age who support the war but value their hides too much to take the King's Shilling themselves.
I knew Gavriel somewhat well, as we were both Ivy grads a little older than most when we went through School of Infantry together but a few months ago. He was an excellent man and a hell of a marine, for someone seemingly so unsuited for such a life. I guess I just felt like saying I met the man, and he was all that and more. It's kind of hard when you can't share grief with immediate family and friends due to the hardship it may inflict on them, so I was glad to find FR remembering Gavriel as well. Thanks for caring.
PS that's his standard boot camp photo circa Nov-Dec 2003. Pretty good, given the circumstances (most people look really terrible).
au contraire, I have college-aged sons and many of their college fellows are rotc or planning to go in after college, or they attend military academys and colleges. These kids were sparked by 9/11 and see themselves as willing and able. There are plenty of green-haired pierced whackos, but we just notice them more! :)
I am pleased that Harvard actually graduated ten ROTC officers. However, let's be honest, if Sommers had not fought for the ROTC the whole miniscule organization would probably have been shut down two years ago. As it is, I believe that the 50-100 ROTC cadets the article talks about come from Harvard, MIT, Boston College, BU, etc. I repeat, neither the elite Boston schools nor the Ivy League have much to be proud of. P.S. In two years in Viet Nam I never met an officer or enlisted man who had studied in the Ivy League. I don't believe that times have changed that much.
I graduated from Penn in 03. Now I am an enlisted Marine. In my basic School of Infantry class there were 3 other Ivy leaguers including Gavriel, and at least 20 or so who had attended other colleges. Not to mention the number of reservists who were in the process of going to school. Given the Marine target demographic is 18 year olds fresh out of high school, I don't think those numbers are too bad. That is, for anecdotal evidence, anyway.
Thanks for letting us know a bit about him. Prayers for his friends and family.
Thank you for your service and may God bless you and all who serve.
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