Comrades remember, honor Nicholas Madaras
Nicholas Madaras with his younger brother, Chris.
His sergeant, Brenden McCullagh, recalled smoking cigars with his young driver outside their barracks at the end of a hard day, ribbing other soldiers in their platoon.
"And they were particularly cheap cigars," said Maj. Daniel Holland, remembering the young private first class with a smile.
Holland spoke to about 400 soldiers who gathered at Fort Carson's Soldiers' Memorial Chapel Wednesday to remember Madaras, who was killed Sept. 3 when his squadron was struck by an ambush of multiple roadside bombs. His unit was part of Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
It was Madaras' intelligence and abilities that caught the eye of Army brass, and they selected him for the security detail for his unit's command staff, Holland said.
"Members of the command group's personal security detachment are hand-picked for their intelligence, reliability and loyalty, and they receive special training," Holland said. "Nick definitely was in that top tier of elite young guys that Army recruiters find out there in society. It is hard to find guys like that."
Madaras' patrol was attacked as it carried three wounded soldiers from another unit to the hospital from an earlier attack in Baghdad, recalled Lt. Col. Thomas Fisher in a letter that was read to the congregation Wednesday.
Two IEDs exploded within Madaras' convoy line, striking near Fisher's Humvee and another one farther forward. Madaras maneuvered his Humvee into position behind Fisher's vehicle to protect the convoy. As he stepped out of his vehicle, a third IED exploded next to him, striking him with shrapnel.
"Doc worked on him for about 10 minutes but there was nothing he could do," Fisher recalled.
"Having just driven through a firestorm of IEDs, Nick must have known the odds were against him that day, yet he still immediately dismounted from the safety of his vehicle, placing himself at risk, to protect his commander and his buddies and the wounded Delta Company soldiers they were trying to evacuate," Holland told the congregation.
It was the same soldier Sgt. McCullagh recalled: a funny, smart, selfless young man, "a soldier's soldier, who when it came game time, was all business."
Friends in Madaras' hometown of Wilton, Conn., remembered similar traits. They saw in him a young man engaged in his community, an avid soccer player who took time to become a coach and teach the game to youngsters.
The children he coached had continued to send him e-mails in Iraq, and he answered each and every one, said Holland.
Madaras had hoped to return to school and become a doctor or nurse, friends recalled.
"He was a bright young man in the prime of his life, who had dreams and aspirations and so much to offer not only the Army but society," said Holland. "It's tragic that we had to lose him so young."
From the Rocky Mountain News
Related Link:
Nicholas Madaras Honored, Laid to Rest
Related Link:
Soldier from Wilton killed in Iraq (Nicholas Madaras)
posted by iraqnam at 12:20 AM
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