Honor the fallen by pressing on! Published May 29, 2009 By Col. Gary Goldstone 375th Airlift Wing Commander SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- This weekend some of us spent our Memorial Day in celebration with friends and family. For others, it was a time to pay our final respects to those friends and family members who were killed in the service to their country. Two of those servicemembers came home to the St. Louis area and were laid to rest. You may have seen some local media coverage of the funeral and burial proceedings for 1st Lt. Roslyn Schulte, an intel officer killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. She was buried Monday with full military honors at the New Mount Sinai Cemetery in Affton, Mo. The other, Army Spc. David Schaefer, who was deployed to Iraq, was another victim of a roadside bomb. This native of Belleville was laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks Tuesday. Members from Team Scott were honored to assist in the transfer of their remains and with providing other logistical assistance for their family members and coworkers. For Lieutenant Schulte, our Honor Guard performed flawlessly, and our force support personnel provided lodging, transportation and meals to the more than 30 men and women who flew in from Hawaii to say goodbye to their friend and co-worker. Our friends at Air Mobility Command assisted as liaisons to the family and worked with the wing and Pacific Air Forces' operations representatives to coordinate a C-17 flyover. For Specialist Schaefer, Team Scott leaders met with friends and family members as his remains arrived at Scott. The Army performed the dignified transfer and we assisted with transportation and escorting of the body. In both cases, our team acted quickly and professionally to ensure all aspects of these somber occasions were provided for with the utmost professionalism. I appreciate all those who rose to the occasion and who spent their time assisting our fellow servicemembers. It was especially poignant that they were laid to rest during the Memorial Day weekend, when our nation takes time to remember the fallen. It's a time to mourn the loss, but also a time to be grateful that they lived. Our lives are richer and fuller for having known them, and the world has no doubt benefited from their service. I wish to acknowledge those who serve on the honor guard for they represent our Air Force with dignity and class. These are not full-time positions, but rather a volunteer duty that is executed most often by our junior enlisted members. They leave their primary duty sections for about four months to serve with the honor guard. I receive letters frequently from families who are very grateful for our honor guard, so I thank you for giving this service and for representing us all so well. To honor the fallen, we must move forward and finish the work they were asked to do. Our nation is asking us to help build both Iraq and Afghanistan into stable governments, ensure security can be established and assist with other civil-political-economic objectives. For Lieutenant Schulte, it was to help the Afghans collect and interpret intelligence data. For Specialist Schaefer, it included numerous patrol operations, searches for weapons caches, and counterinsurgency operations. What does all that have to do with us back home? I answer, EVERYTHING! We will press on and not be deterred by what the enemy has taken from us, but we will be inspired by their examples of kindness, excellence, selfless duty and leadership. We will renew our efforts to become experts in our career fields so we can respond when called upon. We will also resolve to continue to take care of each other, be good wingmen and truly appreciate the time we have together ... for it could all be gone much too soon. Let us also resolve to be of such character that if we are called to those heavenly skies, that we, like Roslyn and David, will have left behind a legacy that our family and friends would be proud of, that is worthy of their respect and befitting a member of the United States military!