scoutsout80
02-25-2010, 03:18 PM
Everyone turned their head when Cardenaz drove by. The guy had a late model Lincoln Navigator with every customization you could think of. There was the digital receiver from Power Zone, the Army’s version of “Best Buy”; it had a graphics and lights. Cardenaz had it.
Didn’t like, so he bought another one at a better place and threw that one out in the garbage. He had ridiculous rims and scented aromas inside the truck. He took care of that better than most cared for their soldiers.
One nasty Bavarian night, we were coming back from the motor pool after a 30 day field problem. Walking a click in the rain to the barracks is never fun. Cardenaz drove by slowly. Through the tinted glass you could see him wrestling with himself as what to do next.
We were filthy, covered in grime and wet. He had a meticulous clean vehicle.
He looked us over and quickly spun the truck around. He said, “get in. But please don’t move around on my seats, dog.”
In a field exercise one of the soldiers in his platoon got air lifted when he accidentally took a round firing into a bunker. I remember Gardenaz coming over to me in the barracks afterwards and saying,
“we gotta worry about getting shot down range. Can’t be shooting each out out here. Especially in a damn bunker. I mean just yell, ‘bang, bang’ there’s nobody in there, bro. I checked.
You never knew if he was serious or was about to break out into laughter.
He would borrow a cigarette off you and then complain about your brand.
A hulking mass of humanity, it always was reassuring for my soldiers when they saw Cardenaz at a German festival or club. It meant that if things went down, this big boy was there to help fend off the angry Turks or locals if need be. That happened far too many times to count.
Saturday, February 20th, Cardenaz was killed in Kunar, Afghanistan when he was hit by an RPG.
He was assigned to 2-12 Infantry, 4th BCT, 4th Infantry Division.
SSG Cardenaz deployed to Kosovo twice, Iraq twice and this was his ninth month in Afghanistan when he was taken from us. Five combat tours for twenty-nine year old man. He earned the Bronze star and the Army Commendation with Valor. But most impressive was the Soldier’s Medal he earned in Baqubah, Iraq when he was with my A Company.
The Soldier’s Medal is the highest non-combat award a soldier can earn. Cardenaz and his platoon leader, 1Lt. Karl Gregory, risked their lives numerous times underwater trying to save a rolled over humvee with four trapped men inside. At times both men ingested filthy canal water. They choked, gagged and vomited, only to go back under in attempts to get those men out. It was cold, they were in full kit, neither quit until the bodies were recovered. They were too late, but words can not begin to describe their sense of loyalty to their own. Evey solider should be lucky enough to be around men who never quit to bring them back.
In the military you never expect to see people again when you leave your unit or the service. So death is really never final. A guy dies in combat, you can pretend that he is on leave or just simply got transferred on orders. And when you go home and you hear tragic news such as this, it never seems real. What brings us all back to earth is when we realize that there is a family out there that is without a husband or son.
And what they have given us, what Cardenaz has given us, is the endowment of freedom.
Most Americans have done nothing to earn it, some would argue even deserve it… but his blood has allowed us to have it for free. There is truly nothing more beautiful another man can do.
I regret that I was not closer to him. There are many of my old friends that are in a lot of pain right now. We can only imagine the stress his family is under. Our prayers and deepest condolences are with those who loved him and our pity to those who never got the chance.
Didn’t like, so he bought another one at a better place and threw that one out in the garbage. He had ridiculous rims and scented aromas inside the truck. He took care of that better than most cared for their soldiers.
One nasty Bavarian night, we were coming back from the motor pool after a 30 day field problem. Walking a click in the rain to the barracks is never fun. Cardenaz drove by slowly. Through the tinted glass you could see him wrestling with himself as what to do next.
We were filthy, covered in grime and wet. He had a meticulous clean vehicle.
He looked us over and quickly spun the truck around. He said, “get in. But please don’t move around on my seats, dog.”
In a field exercise one of the soldiers in his platoon got air lifted when he accidentally took a round firing into a bunker. I remember Gardenaz coming over to me in the barracks afterwards and saying,
“we gotta worry about getting shot down range. Can’t be shooting each out out here. Especially in a damn bunker. I mean just yell, ‘bang, bang’ there’s nobody in there, bro. I checked.
You never knew if he was serious or was about to break out into laughter.
He would borrow a cigarette off you and then complain about your brand.
A hulking mass of humanity, it always was reassuring for my soldiers when they saw Cardenaz at a German festival or club. It meant that if things went down, this big boy was there to help fend off the angry Turks or locals if need be. That happened far too many times to count.
Saturday, February 20th, Cardenaz was killed in Kunar, Afghanistan when he was hit by an RPG.
He was assigned to 2-12 Infantry, 4th BCT, 4th Infantry Division.
SSG Cardenaz deployed to Kosovo twice, Iraq twice and this was his ninth month in Afghanistan when he was taken from us. Five combat tours for twenty-nine year old man. He earned the Bronze star and the Army Commendation with Valor. But most impressive was the Soldier’s Medal he earned in Baqubah, Iraq when he was with my A Company.
The Soldier’s Medal is the highest non-combat award a soldier can earn. Cardenaz and his platoon leader, 1Lt. Karl Gregory, risked their lives numerous times underwater trying to save a rolled over humvee with four trapped men inside. At times both men ingested filthy canal water. They choked, gagged and vomited, only to go back under in attempts to get those men out. It was cold, they were in full kit, neither quit until the bodies were recovered. They were too late, but words can not begin to describe their sense of loyalty to their own. Evey solider should be lucky enough to be around men who never quit to bring them back.
In the military you never expect to see people again when you leave your unit or the service. So death is really never final. A guy dies in combat, you can pretend that he is on leave or just simply got transferred on orders. And when you go home and you hear tragic news such as this, it never seems real. What brings us all back to earth is when we realize that there is a family out there that is without a husband or son.
And what they have given us, what Cardenaz has given us, is the endowment of freedom.
Most Americans have done nothing to earn it, some would argue even deserve it… but his blood has allowed us to have it for free. There is truly nothing more beautiful another man can do.
I regret that I was not closer to him. There are many of my old friends that are in a lot of pain right now. We can only imagine the stress his family is under. Our prayers and deepest condolences are with those who loved him and our pity to those who never got the chance.