Email   Print   Share By Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante, STB, III Corps

Facebook Digg Delicious November 19, 2009 | News

Spc. Frederick Greene, Pfc. Michael Pearson, Pfc. Aaron Nemelka and Pfc. Kham Xiong were all at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center preparing for deployment when a gunman opened fire on the area, killing all four of these Soldiers and nine others. Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante, STB, III Corps

The 20th Engineer Battalion honored those lost during the Nov. 5 shootings on Fort Hood during a memorial service at Palmer Theater Thursday.

Spc. Frederick Greene, Pfc. Michael Pearson, Pfc. Aaron Nemelka and Pfc. Kham Xiong were killed when a gunman opened fire in the post Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Greene, Pearson and Nemelka were all combat engineers in the same platoon in the 510th Clearance Company and Xiong was a mechanic with the Forward Support Company.

“The depth of their courage and commitment can be better measured when we consider the nation had been at war for seven years when they committed to serve,” said Lt. Col. Peter Andrysiak, commander, 20th Eng. Bn.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And Frederick Green, Michael Pearson, Aaron Nemelka and Kham Xiong said ‘Here I am. Send me,’” Andrysiak said, quoting Isaiah 6:8.

While the ceremony had all the usual tradition, customs and courtesies, the command made certain to focus on who the Soldiers were as people rather than the circumstances under which they died.

Greene was described as a voracious reader who loved his wife and step-daughters more than anything. One battle buddy described a visit to Greene’s apartment where he noticed Greene didn’t have much in the way of furniture or video games. Greene explained that he was saving everything so he could move his family to Fort Hood sooner. He said it would be the greatest feeling to come home and have one daughter latched on his leg and one on his arm and have them holding on to him so tightly he couldn’t pry them off.

His wife and daughters were set to arrive at Fort Hood on Nov. 6, the day following the shooting.

His platoon leader remembers him always with his nose in a book and very competitive about it. Greene was reading the same Stephen King series as 2nd Lt. Ryan Corken and constantly teased his lieutenant about being a slow reader and urged him to pick up the pace so they could discuss the books. Corken started devoting more time to reading so he and Greene could talk about plot and characters.

He just caught up with Greene and finished the series last week.

Pearson was an avid musician and hoped to become a music teacher. The call to duty persuaded him to put his dreams on hold and serve his country. Pearson enjoyed teaching other Soldiers how to play various instruments and would often make up songs on the spot to entertain his battle buddies. His improvised songs sounded like “rehearsed works of art,” according to Corken.

He was also a dedicated martial artist and would take every opportunity to show off his skills, even during the .50 cal range. “I kinda thought that was a strange place to be showing off a knee strike,” Corken said.

Pearson had been rushed from the scene to the hospital, but died on the operating table. Everyone in his unit thought there was no way he wouldn’t fully recover.

Nemelka was incredibly proud of his family and lineage and took every opportunity to tell his fellow Soldiers and leadership all about it. He also loved bowling, movies and golf. Like Greene, Nemelka’s battle buddies noted how much he loved reading and learning and had quite the collection of books. Nemelka also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts, a position that denotes dedication and perseverance, just like being a Soldier.

“A Soldier, gentleman, hero and most of all our friend,” is how 2nd Lt. Anthony Coppellotti, Xiong’s platoon leader, described the fallen Soldier. “Nothing was too challenging and no task was impossible. He could do anything and everyone around him could see it,” he said.

While the ceremony was meant to bring closure to a terrible loss, there was also a sense of continuance and eternity.

“Greene, Peterson and Nemelka, they’ll all be with us when we’re patrolling the dangerous roads of Afghanistan,” said Capt. James Pence, commander, 510th Clearing Co.

“Xiong will be with us through the deployment and the rest of our times,” said Capt. Christopher J. Fontaine, commander, FSC.