'We
will never forget'
“Poor is
the country that has no heroes, but beggard is the country that
having them, forgets.”
- Anonymous
They came from opposite
ends of the country. Yet both young men shared very similar
backgrounds. Salt of the earth souls, “All-American Boys” in
their own special ways. Just as it's always been and, I trust &
pray, how it always will be.
And like thousands,
millions, of our country's best and bravest – past, present and
future – Shane Cantu of Corunna, Michigan (near Lansing) and Andrew
Keller of Beaverton, Oregon (near Portland), became fast friends
within the disciplined ranks of the United States Armed Forces.
There were many wonderful
attributes the two young men shared in common, according to family,
friends, former coaches and teachers. But at the top of the list, and
the trait that truly defines each and every one of us, for better or
worse, is character.
And these young Americans,
“Brothers in Arms,” literally and at the deepest depths of human
spirit, had Character. Selfless character, as teammates in Legion
Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry
Regiment, of the storied 173rd Airborne Brigade, and as
instantaneous friends to those whose lives they touched.
Cantu, 20, was “a good,
hardworking student,” according to Leo Constine, one of his former
teachers at Corunna High School.
A three-time all-conference
football player, Cantu was described by his coach Mike Sullivan as
“the hardest working kid I ever coached.” Sullivan added, “Shane
was a winner in more ways than just winning or losing a game. He gave
everything his all and everybody wanted to follow him. That's just
who he was. He had a heart of gold and his smile lit up a room.”
“Shane was the most
passionate guy I ever met,” said his friend Dom Persichini. “He
was 100 percent all the time. If he was laughing, he was cracking up
louder than anyone else. If he was serious, he was the most serious
guy in the room. Everyone respected him, on and off the field,
because he was so loyal. He was always pushing people to do their
best, but he was always supportive.”
Another high school friend,
Jake Lumsden, said Cantu told him he joined the military because he
loved being part of a team. “When college football didn't work out
for Shane, he joined the military to be part of something bigger than
himself. It was who he was and what he wanted to do with his life.”
Shane's family said he had
a fun-loving and entertaining personality; always keeping everyone in
stitches with his sense of humor and his many celebrity
impersonations.
Shane's mother, Jennifer
Clarke, said her son was “at peace with going to Afghanistan.”
And not just because it was what he signed up to do in this era of
the all-volunteer military. “He said people, especially children,
need my help,” explained his mother.
Keller, 22, was a son,
brother, fiancee' and friend.
And just like his buddy
from Michigan, the proud Oregonian, a gifted and popular football
player at Southridge High School, was known as a loyal, caring man,
truly concerned about his impact on others' lives.
In a letter to his mother
after joining the Army (as published in The Oregonian newspaper),
Keller said, “I know you don't like it that I am making the
ultimate sacrifice and am a member of the United States Army. But
isn't that what life is about? Making the ultimate sacrifice for that
small chance of making a difference in somebody's life.”
“Andrew's smile could
make anyone's day brighter,” said Southridge health teacher Connie
Jolley. “He was diligent in his schoolwork and he was hilarious,
the kind of kid people just wanted to be around.”
A shoulder injury cost
Keller his dream of playing college football, but it didn't deter his
inner desire to continue his life as a leader, a role at which he
excelled. “He liked the structure of the Army, having a team, a
goal and feeling like he was accomplishing something important,”
his fiance', Marissa Jones, told the Portland Tribune.
Jones, Keller's sweetheart
since eighth grade, said on the first of her two visits to see Andrew
at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, where his unit was based, her
favorite part was meeting his friends. “They were all like brothers
and had a bond like something I haven't seen with other groups of
people. They truly care and rely on each other. They really are
family. Andrew was surrounded by such amazing guys.”
One of those 'amazing guys'
Jones met was Keller's “brother” and close friend, Pfc. Shane
Cantu.
Both soldiers arranged for
the loves of their lives, Marissa and Ciara (Agnew) of Owosso, Mich.,
to visit them in Italy in May - to have some fun and relaxation - a
few weeks prior to their deployment to Afghanistan.
On 15 Aug., Pfc. Andrew
James Keller, who hours earlier had gotten enough cell phone
signal on top of a Logar Province mountain to text his family and
tell them he was safe and loved them, was killed by an insurgent
small arms round.
Two weeks later, on 28
Aug., Pfc. Shane William Cantu, who had five sisters
(including a twin), and who had “finally found what he really loved
to do” when he joined the military, was killed by shrapnel from an
insurgent explosive round fired into a forward operating base
perimeter.
Families are devastated.
Friends, entire communities – filled with heartache. So many dreams
ended, or deferred.
Death and maiming are
integral and cosmically impartial components of war. It's grim
elements seeping across the landscape like a fog. And all the while,
it never gets easier to understand or accept that killing is the
answer to anything.
Civilians rarely see war,
unless it's being inflicted upon them.
Civilians everywhere see
the results of war.
I didn't go to Afghanistan
with a mission to make a documentary about revenge, combat, drone
strikes, IEDs, suicide bombers or any other means of killing, mayhem
and destruction. That story, sadly, unfolds every day and will,
somewhere in the world, continue until the end of mankind.
My desire was to tell “the
other war story.” The deeply personal side of a dangerous and
difficult mission being carried out by so many brave Americans, as
well ISAF forces and non-governmental humanitarian organizations. Our
story is one of compassion and hope, one conspicuously absent in a
24/7 news cycle dominated by an “if it bleeds it leads”
mentality.
“Outside the Wire: The
Forgotten Children of Afghanistan,” follows America's finest as
they carry out a dangerous and difficult mission. The story, however,
celebrates our similarities as decent human beings - regardless of
race, color or creed - as opposed to the arguing, fighting and
killing over differences.
My travels throughout
Afghanistan with the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces was one
of the greatest privileges of my life.
One of the blessings
precipitated from our first documentary is the founding of our
not-for-profit organization, The Red, White and Blue Project,
Inc., www.theredwhiteandblueproject.org
as well as my opportunity to share and introduce to you through the
blogosphere, continued information and stories about America's best
and bravest.
At The Red, White and
Blue Project, we believe that when courageous volunteer warriors
are killed or wounded in service to America, we don't view them,
their grieving families and friends as people we don't know. All
lives intersect in some manner. And these are our sons, daughters,
husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors. They ship
out to far away lands – just as they have for generations – to
confront evil with force, skill and compassion. They do this so the
rest of us don't have to.
We hope that each of you
will spend some time at our website (please put it in your
“favorites” for continued easy access and updates) to get a feel
for who we are, what our three-fold mission involves and the
principles for which we stand.
And we realize fully, that
many people are struggling – financially and otherwise. If you're
inspired to support and join our mission monetarily or via a
Sponsorship package (individual, business or corporate), it matters
not the amount of your gift. “Large or small” is a relative term
and we are grateful for all of you! Every donation, including
purchase of our documentary DVD, is tax deductible and 100% of monies
stay in America.
The DVD trailer can be
viewed on our website, as well as on YouTube (Outside the Wire
Trailer, 4:01). Our friend and ally, #1 Billboard Country Artist
Raymond Harris, an unyielding advocate for the U.S. military and its
veterans and families, also has a great YouTube site (Raymond
Harris) for the making of his newest single, “Sweet.”
In visiting our web and
YouTube sites, and if your heart moves you, please know that you you
will make a difference in helping us spread worldwide, our mission to
“Educate, Inspire, Empower, Support.”
The universal message is
that we should never forget people like Pfc. Shane Cantu
and Pfc. Andrew Keller – and mean it with all of our
being.
God Bless!
