On this memorial day weekend, I have two groups of fallen that I want to remember. Those are the deaths of our military men and women, and the deaths of contractors. Both groups have equal importance in my view, and both have given equal sacrifice in this war.
But in the context of this blog, this is more of a dedication to the under reported and often forgotten sacrifices of my industry’s fallen. I am proud of our service in this war, and like most, I have lost comrades during this long fight. And I am not just talking about American deaths, I am talking about the sacrifices of contractors from all around the world. Just look down the list of Iraq (1,314) and Afghanistan (111) casualties and read the names and places of each fallen contractor.
I also want to talk about those that are not on this list as official casualties in this war. Because of how large and unregulated the industry has become, the accurate tracking of every contractor in the war has not happened. I am talking about contractors that are not working for the DoD or Coalition in some official capacity. We are talking about contractors that have worked for NGO’s or some private business that have died in the war. Their sacrifice should not go unnoticed, and to me, these are the unknown security contractors of the war that have truly been forgotten. Not to forget the hundreds of Iraqi or Afghan contractors that have died supporting the cause as well.
So to share a story that is personal to me, I want to highlight one of those individuals that are not on the list(s). His name is Dane Mortensen, and he was a former Marine and Idaho resident. I had helped him in his quest in becoming a contractor when he got out of the Marines via emails, and he was very excited to finally get his first break in the industry. He had worked in Qatar for Dyncorp for a bit, and then went on to work for Securiforce in Iraq. Here is his last email to me, and a month later he was killed. I also posted his obituary.
Below, I also found two stories of contractors recently killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rest in peace, and my heart goes out to the friends and family of the fallen. Semper Fi. –Matt
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10/25/07
Matt,
Hows it going bro? I just wanted to send you a quick note and see how you were doing back there in idaho and see if you’d started looking for contracts here. Have you ever heard of a brit company called securiforce? I’ve been talking to them for a week or so and it looks like i might be going with them on 1nov doing convoy security. They kinda look like crecent, rolling in pickups with iraqi drivers and nepelese gunners. anyhow the pay is good and the RR time is great just wanted to see if you knew anything about them. Take care
Semper Fi
Dane
*****
Dane Richard Mortensen died, in Iraq last Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007 while escorting a convoy supporting coalition efforts in the war. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007 at the LDS Meridian North Stake Center, located at 5555 North Locust Grove Rd. in Meridian, Idaho. Dane entered this world on March 31, 1984, weighing 10 lbs 7 oz in Boise. His physical size was perhaps necessary to hold his spirit, love of life, and mischief.
He attended Joplin Elementary, Eagle Middle School, and graduated from Centennial High school in 2002. Through out this time he was active in baseball, football, soccer, wrestling, and tennis. Dane loved hunting, shooting, and all outdoor activities, and people loved doing these things with Dane. Dane was a natural leader who generated enthusiasm, and fun for those involved in any activity he participated in. During middle school and high school Dane developed a deep pride of America, and a desire to serve his country in the military. His patriotism was deep, sincere, and unwavering. While a senior he joined the United States Marine Corps, going to boot camp just after high school graduation. After boot camp and training he was stationed at the Bangor Naval base near Silverdale Wash. While, there he met the love of his life, Megan St. Jean. Megan brought about a positive and profound change in Dane; he was completely happy and satisfied. They were married on Sept. 3, 2004. Subsequently, in 2005 he was sent to Iraq, where he served a combat tour. Dane was stationed in Ramadi, when it was a stronghold of insurgents and he saw combat almost daily. Dane was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2005, with the rank of corporal. Dane spoke highly of his military experience and particularly of the Marines, and the deep and steadfast friendships he had made there. Megan and Dane were blessed with a son, Kyle on March 23, 2007. Dane deeply loved both Megan and Kyle and overjoyed to have a son. At the time of his death Dane had returned to the Middle East to work for a security company. He worked in Qatar and Iraq. Dane is survived by his wonderful wife Megan, and beautiful son Kyle, His parents, Rick and Marva, brother, Erik, and sister Kimberli Stevens, a brother in law Dave Stevens, a nephew Damon Stevens and niece Meylnn Stevens, his Grandmother Evelyn Storer, and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. All will miss him, but remember him always.
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2 Americans die separately in Baghdad Green Zone
By CHELSEA J. CARTER
05/23/2009
BAGHDAD – Two Americans have been killed in separate incidents inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Saturday, raising concerns about its security as Iraq’s forces assume more control over the sprawling district.
The body of an American contractor was found Friday in a vehicle in the Green Zone, and another contractor was killed by a rocket attack that night near the American Embassy, a U.S. military official said.
The two deaths come as the Iraqi government has begun tearing down the protective blast walls surrounding the Green Zone, which houses a number of government ministries as well as the American Embassy.
Iraq assumed control of the zone under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact that took effect Jan. 1. The U.S. continues to provide its own security in key areas, such as near the embassy and at the small military base inside.
Iraqi police officers discovered the body of the slain American in a parked car and notified the U.S. military, an Iraqi military official told The Associated Press. He did not have further details on the killing. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The U.S. military would not comment on a Washington Post report Saturday that the man had been bound, blindfolded and stabbed multiple times. The newspaper quoted a U.S. official familiar with the investigation into the killing. The paper did not identify the official by name because, it said, he was not authorized to release the information.
The Iraqi official also would not comment on the newspaper’s report.
The victim’s brother identified him as Jim Kitterman, 60, of Houston. Kitterman was president of Janus Construction, a small company based in the Green Zone and had worked in Iraq for about six years.
Kitterman’s brother, Cliff, said he was notified Friday by the government but did not want to talk about any details he had been given about his brother’s death.
“I know some things, but it’s speculation right now,” he told The Associated Press.
The U.S. military would not confirm the identity or release details about the killing while the investigation was under way.
The second American was killed when a rocket struck the Green Zone Friday at 8:15 p.m., said military spokesman Maj. Jose A. Lopez.
Since the Green Zone was established shortly after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, it has been repeatedly shelled or hit by suicide attackers and car bombs.
Also Saturday, the U.S. military said an American soldier died Friday in a noncombat incident in Baghdad province.
A military statement said the incident was under investigation. No further details were provided. The name of the soldier has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
At least 4,300 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war, according to an Associated Press count.
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,443 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.
Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub in Baghdad and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.
Story here.
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San Antonio man is killed in Afghanistan blast
By Sig Christenson
05/23/2009
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Shawn M. Pine was a veteran intelligence officer by trade, but soldiers and family knew him as a crusader for the underdog.
A Ranger, Pine, 51, of San Antonio was killed Wednesday when his SUV hit a roadside bomb near Kabul, Afghanistan. He was a consultant for MPRI, an Old Town Alexandria, Va., security firm. Services are pending.
Pine once got a group of soldiers to pitch in to pay for a funeral. There was the time he made sure a foreign national got life-saving surgery. And, one day long ago on the streets of San Antonio, Pine helped a homeless man and his family.
“I remember when I was in kindergarten, we were driving somewhere in San Antonio and there was this guy with two kids on the street and a sign asking for donations, and so we just went into the grocery store,” recalled Pine’s daughter, Rachel Pyeatt, 21. “I asked him why we didn’t give him the money like (the homeless man) asked, and he said that way we would make sure the kids got fed.”
Described by a retired NCO as a beloved officer, Pine is the first Alamo City resident killed in action this year and the 46th from the San Antonio area to die in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9-11.
Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte, 25, of St. Louis, Mo., also died in the blast, becoming the 56th American service member killed in action there in 2009, and the 686th of the war.
A career soldier with nine years on active duty in the Army, Pine’s military career included a three-year stint with the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces.
He was a Hebrew linguist who spent much of the past decade in the Middle East as a soldier or civilian intelligence specialist, and was part of the search for weapons of mass destruction after the fall of Iraq.
“He said a lot of times they just found the floor covered with ashes because they burned everything,” said his wife, Lynne Pine, 47, of San Antonio.
The Pines came to San Antonio when Rachel began kindergarten and then left the same year, but returned as their daughter began the fourth grade at Scobee Elementary.
He served in a counterintelligence detachment at Fort Sam Houston and commanded the Army Reserve’s Austin-based 300th Military Intelligence Company from 1999 to 2002.
The unit now is defunct.
“He was the best commander I’ve ever served with, and I mean served with — not served for. He always put the soldier first, always,” said retired Army 1st Sgt. Rex Pierce, 45, of Boerne. “He had a rare quality of taking care of soldiers to the point where they wanted to serve.”
That was true if a soldier had financial trouble. Pierce said Pine would first go through Army channels, but if that didn’t work he would quietly make loans to his own troops — not expecting to get the money back.
That was typical of Pine, who has a son, Guy, 15.
“One of his close friends over there e-mailed me and told me he saw him empty his wallet countless times,” said his daughter, Talya Pine, a 17-year-old high school junior in Pflugerville, north of Austin.
In what may have been his last act of charity, Pine asked his daughter Rachel, a former GI living in Fort Riley, Kan., to send a “care package” of baby clothes to Afghanistan. The clothes were for an interpreter who was going to be a dad.
“He was killed before (the package) got there,” she said, “but the casualty assistance officers made sure that it got to my dad’s interpreter to ensure the baby still had clothes.”
News Researcher Mike Knoop contributed to this report.
Story here.
Hey man. You helped him achieve the same goals in life you an I were looking for. The ways the chips fell was not up to us. Bad luck. Nothing more than that.
Comment by Scott — Sunday, May 24, 2009 @ 6:00 AM
Bad luck indeed. Here is another story on contractor deaths from the Washington Post.
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Remember Them, Too
Don't Contractors Count When We Calculate the Costs of War?
By Steven Schooner
Monday, May 25, 2009
Despite the light that Memorial Day will shine, briefly, on the U.S. death tolls in Iraq and Afghanistan, don't expect an accurate accounting of the real human cost of our military actions abroad. The numbers you'll see — mostly likely just under 5,000 fatalities — won't tell the whole story.
As of June 2008 (the most recent reliable numbers available publicly), more than 1,350 civilian contractor personnel had died in Iraq and Afghanistan supporting our efforts. About 29,000 contractors had been injured, more than 8,300 seriously.
But don't expect President Obama to remember or thank the contractor personnel who died supporting our troops or diplomatic missions. Instead, expect to see contractor personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to be portrayed as expendable profiteers, adventure seekers or marginalized members of society who are not entitled to the same respect or value given to members of the military.
That portrayal, of course, is neither accurate nor fair. Most contractors perform tasks that a generation ago would have been done by uniformed service members. A significant number of these contractors are former members of the military who believe they're answering the same call they would have answered had the crisis arisen while they were on active duty.
Many of the victims are Iraqis and other foreign nationals working under U.S. government contracts. But whether or not they are U.S. citizens, the central fact remains: If our military was less dependent on contractors, these fatalities probably would have been of uniformed service members.
An honest, accurate tally is important because the public — and, for that matter, Congress — does not grasp the level of the military's reliance on contractors in the battle area, nor the extent of these contractors' sacrifices. Simply put, the contemporary, heavily outsourced U.S. military cannot effectively fight or sustain itself without a significant, if not unprecedented, presence of embedded contractors. In Iraq, our contractor-to-troop ratio has exceeded 1 to 1. The State Department admitted last summer that it could not remain in Iraq without heavy reliance on private security.
An accurate tally is critical to any discussion of the costs and benefits of our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. War proponents benefit from the massive contractor presence because it permits them to suggest that our military presence is smaller than what is actually required. And to the extent that the public cares about military fatalities, the human cost of our efforts in Iraq appears much smaller than it would if we didn't rely so heavily on contractors.
In 2006 and 2007, the contractor death rate climbed dramatically. After much smaller numbers during the first three years of the Iraq war, at least 301 civilian contractors died in 2006. At least 353 civilian contractors died in Iraq in 2007, while 901 U.S. military personnel died there. In other words, in 2007, contractors accounted for more than one in four deaths associated with the U.S. occupation.
If anything, the number of contractor deaths is understated. Last year, for the first time, Congress began to require the Pentagon, the State Department and the Agency for International Development to keep track of how many contractors are working in Iraq and Afghanistan and how many have been killed and wounded. The Defense Department recently conceded that it is trying but is not yet up to the task.
The Labor Department generates but does not publish data quarterly on contractor deaths, but only because insurance claims are filed with its Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation. (American contractors are required to provide Defense Base Act insurance, which falls under that program.) If a contractor's family or employer does not seek insurance compensation, that death isn't counted. There's no doubt that the allied death toll is significantly higher than reported and that contractors bear a far greater burden in this regard than the public appreciates.
In a representative democracy, public awareness of the human cost of our engagements abroad is critical. If we're going to tally the human cost of our efforts, the public deserves a full accounting.
The writer, a retired Army Reserve judge advocate, is co-director of the Government Procurement Law program at George Washington University. He was a White House procurement policy official from 1996 to 1998. He published an academic article, "Why Contractor Fatalities Matter," in the Autumn 2008 issue of the Army War College's quarterly journal, Parameters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti…
Comment by headjundi — Tuesday, May 26, 2009 @ 7:30 AM
Matt, I'm Dane's Dad. Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughts. I'm not sure how well you knew Dane, but I thought you might like to know that his wife and son are doing fine. In fact they are visiting us in Boise now. Below his the life sketch I wrote for Dane's memorial service. I thought you might like to know a little more about him.
Dane Richard Mortensen
Dane entered this world on March 1, 1984, weighing 10lbs 7oz in Boise Idaho joining his mother, father, and older sister Kimberli. The doctor exclaimed that it was a moose. Mom and Dad didn’t realize how big he was until they saw him in the nursery with the other babies half his size. From the start Dane was a hearty heater. Marva nursed him tirelessly. He’d suckle until he was out of breath, gasp until he caught it and resume eating. He also liked to be carried; I think this combination led to Marva losing 20 lbs.
His appetite continued through his school years where he took the occasional sick day to “Catch up on his eating”. So did his being carried, I think Marva carried him until he was five years old. Dane loved his Mother, and she loved him deeply. When he was little many people had trouble understanding him, and he went through speech therapy. One thing people could always understand was him saying, “SOMEONE TAKE ME TO MY MOTHER NOW”. He could enunciate when it was important… When he was in the fourth grade he didn’t like school. Even though it was only a block away Marva would drive him and shove him through the front door. Often he would beat her back home, much to her consternation.
Although Dane was not the expressive on his feelings I know he loved and appreciated his Mother.
The other woman in his early life was his sister Kimberli Dawn. If anything was going on, a question being asked, he would watch to see how she reacted – and mimic her. When he was little he referred to her as BDAWN or simply girl. When he got a little older he often stated “All girls stink, except for Mom and sometimes Kimberli”. He looked up to Kimberli, respected her, and loved her.
When Dane was five, Erik his younger brother was born. A girl had been expected, and Hailey was to be her name. When Hailey turned out to be Erik, Kimberli burst into tears and Dane shrieked with joy. He was excited to have a brother. As an older brother Dane could be a bit of a bully (as older brothers often are), but he reserved this treatment exclusively to himself. One time when Erik was having difficulties with some older boys at school, Dane paid them a visit. When Rick would take them to the park to wade in the ditch and Erik fell down, Dane was always the quickest to pull him out and demand he stop crying. As they grew into men there relation matured and they increasingly enjoyed each other’s company. Earlier this year when Erik was helping Dane move a washer and dryer, Dane gave Erik his BB gun and wanted him to ride in the rear of the truck to provide cover. Erik had grown wise enough not to fall for that one. Dane knew how Erik felt about him, and appreciated it. He tried to set a good example for his brother, and loved him deeply.
Last night while talking with Megan she said when Dane had first gone to Iraq, they had taken out a life insurance policy on him. Dane had requested that if something happened to him, that some of the money should be used to pay for Erik going on an LDS mission. That was the first we’d heard of that. That was Dane.
When Dane was in the sixth grade, he was assigned to write a story about himself. In the section describing his family he noted:
My Mother likes to shop.
My Dad likes to watch football and play ball with me.
My sister likes to sleep.
My brother likes to do whatever I do and annoy me.
In the section to record his deep thoughts he wrote:
Why doesn’t my sister have a boyfriend?
Why haven’t I been to Disneyworld?
Why don’t I have deep thoughts?
Dane excelled at sports, and participated in many. His dad coached or umpired his baseball teams. In baseball Dane excelled in pitching and hitting and often made the all star team. When he was about 12 his Dad was umpiring one of his games. As his son was playing on one of the teams Rick always felt it important not to give any impression of favoritism for Dane’s team. When Dane got up to bat Rick told him, “Be a hitter, you better be swinging, because they are all going to be strikes”. The first pitch was way outside and Dane didn’t swing. “Strike” yelled Rick. Dane said “that was a ball”. Rick said “you better be a hitter because they are all strikes”. The next pitch hit the ground far short of the plate and bounced aside and Dane didn’t swing. “Strike 2” yelled Rick.
Dane was shaking with rage, he glared at Rick and screamed, “That didn’t even get to the plate, and you can’t call that”. Rick smiled and said “Yes I can, they are all strikes, be a hitter”. (By this time the crowd was doing a little screaming too)
The next pitch was high and outside. Rick was not going to call the third strike, but Dane stepped over the plate swung way up from his ankles and hit it the ball least 300 feet and got a home run. He ran to home with a big smile on his face. Both Dane and his Dad learned something about each other that day.
During his middle school and high school years Dane became increasingly interested in America, her history, and the military. Desert Storm occurred during this time. Dane was riveted to the news. His favorite movies were “To Hell and Back”, and “The Alamo”, we bought them and must have watched them hundreds of time. Dane joined the Marine’s with some high school friends during his senior year, just as the current war in Iraq was developing. A few days after graduation from Centennial High School in 2002 they left for boot camp at Marine Corp recruitment Depot in San Diego.
Boot camp was an adventure for all of the family. No word for weeks, then a 3 minute official call from Dane, just saying he was ok, except for blisters on his feet because his boots were to small. We asked “didn’t you tell somebody they were to small”? Dane said, “My drill instructor but he told me they were the right size, my feet are too big, Marines don’t make mistakes”. Later came the mysterious 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning calls (collect of course). Always just, “Hey it’s Dane, what’s happening”, and while we were waking each other up “I’ve got to go”, or he’d simply hang up. Naturally there wasn’t much sleep after one of those calls. When we went to boot camp graduation Dane proudly showed us the payphone near the chow hall. If a crew of recruits was working the chow hall in the wee hours and nobody in authority was around for a moment someone would run out and make a call, while the rest stood watch. Generally they had about 30 seconds of excitement for themselves, and were of course oblivious to the chaos of those on the receiving end of the call. I think that’s normal operating procedure for Marines.
The whole family went to boot camp graduation. It was quite impressive, as a citizen it makes one proud of the Marines.
After boot camp Dane went to special training, and then was stationed at the Bangor Navel base, providing security for nuclear submarines on a two year tour of duty. This was close enough for the occasional visit home He came to visit Boise when he had a few days off. On one visit Rick took the day off from work and he and Dane went for a drive out in the desert where they had done some hiking and hunting. It was winter, snowy, and to cold for much hiking so they had some windshield time and were telling old stories. Dane was bringing up some his favorites, and Rick kept interjecting his side. After a few minutes Dane said “STOP What I’m trying to tell you is I’m glad you are my Dad”. Rick was glad too. Quiet nods and handshakes followed, along with some misty eyes…
Dane’s family, and particularly his dad had always been a bit concerned about Dane’s, style of shall we say courting. He still had the motto of “All girls stink, except Mom and sometimes Kimberli”, but he also was known to observe “Girls are a waste of time, money, and gas”. He was also a bit shallow and preferred girls willing to go Dutch and better yet, come pick him up.
Dane’s family was astonished when Dane would call and talk about Megan, a girl he had just met and was dating. More surprising to us yet, was him driving some distance to see her and spending time her with her family. Shortly he brought her home to meet his parents, a first for Dane. It was easy to see why Dane was smitten with Megan. She was beautiful, smart, charming, and absolutely hilarious. We were somewhat concerned because we could see they loved each other, but Megan was only 18 and Dane 20. Rick counseled Dane on the prudence of waiting until they were older and he was out of the Marines before getting to serious. Megan, Dane, and Dane’s family had a nice visit of a few days. Dane was one of those guys who leaves at daybreak if he has a long drive… Megan is one of those girls who likes to sleep in. On the morning of their departure Rick was standing in the living room with Dane. Dane was yelling at Megan to hurry, he was ready to go. Megan came staggering up stairs with her luggage. Rick noticed she looked quite grumpy and was rolling her eyes. Rick became less concerned about an early marriage, figuring Megan would tire of Dane. He reassured Marva, who was very concerned, not by Megan not being wonderful, but also about their ages.
The next day when Rick was driving home from work he got a call from Dane. The conversation went kind of like this:
Dane: “Hey”
Rick: “Hey, what’s happening”
Dane: “I’m getting married”
Rick: “Wait I’m stopping the jeep”
Rick parks
Rick: “Dane, we talked about getting married to young, what’s the hurry, think about it”
Dane: “I love her, I’m not happy unless I’m with her”
Rick: “Well that’s the right reason, when are you proposing, have you asked her Dad’s permission?
Dane: “No, I’ve given her the ring”
Rick: “What, when you just left our house yesterday”.
Dane: “A couple of weeks ago”.
Rick: “She wasn’t wearing a ring”
Dane: “I told her to take it off and not wear it until we’d told you”
Rick: “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Dane: “It never came up”.
Rick: (after several exasperated breaths) “Have you told Mom?”
Dane: “No, I want you to”
Rick: “THANKS, Congratulations, Megan’s a wonderful girl, treat her right”.
Dane: “Yup, bye”.
Rick considered the conversation and concluded that if Megan had put up with Dane so far she probably wasn’t going to tire of him. And that he just as well let Marva know as quickly as possible, and called her. That conversation when something like:
Marva: “Hello, your not going to be late again are you?”
Rick: “No, I’m on my way home, Dane just called he’s engaged, been engaged for a couple of weeks”.
Marva: “Did you ask him why they didn’t tell us when they were here?
Rick: “Yes, he said it never came up, got to go, I’ll be home soon”
Rick hangs up.
Rick graduated with a degree in Mathematics, he figured he was about 4 miles from home, Boise’s altitude was about 2700 feet, and the temperature was around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Under those conditions sound propagates at roughly 750 miles per hour. He stepped out the jeep and listened closely. Sure enough 30 seconds later he heard a distant scream. He was glad he’d decided to call in the news.
Megan and Dane were married on September 3, in 2004. It was a beautiful wedding. It was well attended and our first opportunity to meet Megan’s family, who I think were also concerned about the youth of the bride and groom. Megan has a wonderful family. It was easy to see why Dane had enjoyed there company though out the courtship. When ever Dane related a visit to Megan and her family you tell that he enjoyed it and felt very much at home. He spoke highly of Megan’s parents, Bill, Cynthia, and Linda and Megan’s sister Wendy and brother Ryan. Megan’s family treated Dane like a son.
Dane developed a special bond with Bill, Megan’s Dad and especially with Ryan her brother, who also served in Iraq. He truly felt them to be family and friends and enjoyed their company immensely. It wasn’t like Dane to get so close to people. Rick thought it must be the special kinship that scallywags have. Rick should know.
During the first few months of their marriage, while they lived in Silverdale Washington, their relationship with Megan’s family grew stronger. Dane truly loved them and felt he had another family.
In 2005 Dane was called to serve a Combat tour in Iraq. In 2005 he and Megan went to 29 Palms where Dane received special training. When Dane left to go to Iraq, Rick’s family had the honor, pleasure, and privilege of having Megan agreeing to stay with them. When Erik heard the news he said, “Well that’s going to be awkward”. Marva replied, “No it’s not, just treat her like your sister”. Erik wanting clarification said, “You mean I don’t have to be nice to her?” “Just treat her like a sister”, Marva repeated. Erik and Megan quickly became fast friends. Neither was all that nice to the other.
Megan came into their home and their hearts. It was wonderful living with Megan, getting to know her, and growing to love her. Meagan can make anyone laugh till it hurts.
Dane was stationed in Ramadi, where there a good deal of insurgent activity often saw combat. One day Marva received a call from Dane, a rarity as he didn’t often have access to a cell phone. He said he’d been given the day off and allowed to use the facilities of another base for doing something “Really Good”. His family was naturally apprehensive as to what combat Marines would term “Really Good”. A few days later Rick received a letter from Dane describing an incident where his squad came under sniper fire from a building. He had fired two rounds from the SMAW (Shoulder Mounted Artillery Weapon) that he carried, providing a secure entry point for his squad. Rick figured this is was the something “Really Good”, he’d spoken of.
When Megan returned to Boise for Dane’s memorial service she brought some of his Marine memorabilia. One of the items was a medal he’d been awarded for his actions during that battle. Dane hadn’t mentioned the citation. He wasn’t much of a bragger. We all loved Dane, but bless his heart, sometimes you did want to slap him into the next county.
When Dane returned from Iraq, Rick Marva, and Megan went to 29 palms to meet him. Seeing Dane and Megan meet you knew how much they loved each other. Rick and Marva didn’t see much of Dane and Megan after that, but I guess that is how it should be.
When Dane was released from the Marines he returned to Boise in May of 2006, where Megan had found an apartment. Dane worked at the Boise Cascade wholesale building materials branch until leaving for a job in Qatar in February of 2007.
It was great having Megan and Dane in Boise. They joined Rick, Marva, and Erik nearly every Sunday for dinner. And there were many opportunities to go shooting, and hunting.
One Saturday Dane, Rick, and Erik, decided to drive out in the desert for a day of rabbit hunting. They parked near a hot spring on the Bruno river, grabbed their shotguns and set out. There was a truck parked a short distance away next to the trail to the hot spring. Suddenly a man emerged from the truck, began shouting obscenities and “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE”, and charged towards them. The “gentleman” was clearly intoxicated.
Rick and Erik stared in amazement. Dane shouted “HERE”, thrust his shotgun into Rick’s hands, took about five strides towards the aggressor, stopped spread his legs, folder his arms, and shouted, “I’m Corporal Dane Richard Mortensen, United States Marine Corps”.
Dane’s reaction to protect his loved one’s was immediate and instinctive. Dane’s response brought the charge to a screeching halt, and prevented what could have been an ugly encounter.
After receiving a short apology they resumed their hunt. Rick joked, “He didn’t look that though, but I was afraid his breath might knock you over”. Dane smiled and said, “I dunno, I thought he looked like he could be scrappy”.
When Dane was in elementary school his parents received a call that he was in trouble for fighting and they had to come in for a visit. When they got there it turned out that Dane had clearly not started it so his punishment was minimal. Back at home he asked Rick about to handle similar situations. Rick’s response was that there were two things to know about fighting. Never start one, never run from one, that was one piece of Rick’s advice Dane did follow.
Dane and Megan found out they were expecting a child in the summer 2007. It wasn’t really planned but both were excited to have a child. During conversations with his Father, Dane expressed his excitement for being a father and was hoping for a son. Whenever we were out hunting or shooting he would talk about looking forward to the time when his son could go.
Kyle, the son Dane was so looking forward to was born on March 23, 2007. Dane was in Qatar at that time, but was able to come back for visit in July. He, Megan, and Kyle, were able to visit Boise during that time. We’re all glad that we had that time together as a family.
During a conversation with Rick shortly after Dane returned to Qatar, Dane said he was looking at other jobs over there, and he was unhappy with the lack of leadership in the company he was working for. Rick asked him, “What does leadership mean to you”. Dane said, “You know”. Rick replied, “No you tell me”.
Dane answered “It’s simple, accomplish the mission and take care of your people”. Dane was a man of few words but he could say a lot with them.
Dane didn’t just learn leadership in the Marines. He learned it from his family, his teachers, his couches, his church leaders, and everyone who touched his life that lived their life by accomplishing the mission and taking care of their people.
After Dane went to Iraq he didn’t have as many opportunities to call home. This was especially difficult with Megan and Kyle who he’d been able to web cam with almost every day. During one conversation Dane was talking about Megan and Kyle. Rick asked him about how much he was missing them. Dane said how much he loved him and choked up. He kept saying “you just don’t know, you can’t imagine…” and choked up. Dane wasn’t much of a talker , but he never choked up.
That speaks volumes for his love of is son and wife.
But, I’m sorry Dane, you were wrong. we do know how it is to miss someone you love so much – a wonderful son. brother, husband, father and friend.
Comment by Rick — Wednesday, June 10, 2009 @ 3:37 AM
Mr. Mortensen,
Your son's memory means a lot to me, even though I have never met him. He was a Marine and a security contractor wanting to succeed in this industry, and that is the connection I had with him. It was an honor and privilege to correspond with him and help him in anyway I could back then.
In a way, that is one of my reasons for why I started Feral Jundi. To promote on how to do things right out there and to be good leaders. That is why when I read the quote you mentioned about Dane's thoughts on leadership– "accomplishing the mission and taking care of their people", I was proud. These are the things we as Marines believe in, and this is what I continue to harp on here at Feral Jundi. So thank you for sharing that precious memory and Semper Fi.
(please feel free to contact me in private at any time at headjundi@feraljundi.com)
Comment by headjundi — Wednesday, June 10, 2009 @ 6:20 AM