October 13th, 2004

RELEASE NUMBER: 041018-01

DATE POSTED: OCTOBER 18, 2004

 

PRESS RELEASE: Civil affairs officers killed in Iraq

U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office 

 

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Oct. 18, 2004) — Two Army Reserve civil affairs officers died Oct. 13 during an improvised explosive device attack on their convoy in Mosul, Iraq.

 

Lt. Col. Mark P. Phelan, 44, and Maj. Charles "Rob" Soltes Jr., 36, were returning from a mission at a local hospital with members of the Upland, Calif.-based 426th Civil Affairs Battalion's Public Health Team when their vehicle was attacked.

 

Five other Soldiers were wounded during the attack.

The worst day of my life was 4 years ago today, watching Maj. Soltes's and Col. Phelan's last moments, and seeing three other friends seriously hurt. I was riding as a machine gunner in the Humvee behind theirs when they were hit by a suicide car bomber. We had been in Iraq 3 weeks.

 

Major Soltes was taken from two young sons and a lovely, pregnant wife. She later had a beautiful, healthy boy.  Colonel Phelan was taken from an adult daughter and a loving wife. Mrs. Phelan continued to send us care packages throughout our unit's year in Iraq. She makes delicious rice krispie treats. It makes me sad, now, to think of them and of her.

 

Before that day I don't think I ever had a clue what these war deaths meant. They were names on a list, men and women who understood the risks they took and died doing their jobs. Their deaths were sad and tragic but, in my naive thinking, understandable and bearable. I had never given a moment's thought to the surviving family. I had never considered their battle buddies who sustained life-altering injuries (across the two wars, for every soldier killed, several more are badly hurt.) And I'd never thought of their surviving teammates. The men and women trained accept risk and face death and, really, no better at it than anyone else. 

 

As of today, 4182 US service members killed in Iraq, and 611 killed in Afghanistan. Every October 13th I make sure and set aside time to remember that each of these deaths hurt someone just as deeply and as as the passing of Mark and Rob hurt their families and us.