A TRIBUTE TO ARMY SPC. GREGORY JAMES MISSMAN

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One of the distinguishing marks of true character is the willingness to take risks and go beyond what is expected by the call of duty. Extra service, the willingness to do more than what is demanded of us, is a measure of our patriotism, and the depth of our religion. To go beyond others in acts of courage, loyalty, and kindness, is one of the marks of a “good soldier.” This is true of Army Spc. Gregory James Missman.

Personal courage is the positive manifestation of an inward alertness to the presence of freedom. Gregory James Missman, proved himself to be a good soldier, one of the best his country ever produced. The enemy who fought against him as well as the men who fought with him, can testify to that. To live hopefully, and courageously today, is not easy. To do so, a man must dedicate himself to something beyond his own little self. This Gregory did without question.

There are two types of strength. There is the strength of the wind that sways the mighty oak, and there is the strength of the oak that withstands the power of the wind. There is strength of the locomotive that pulls the heavy train across the bridge that holds up the weight of the train; one is the power to keep going, the other is the power to keep still; one is the strength by which we overcome, the other is the strength by which we endure. Gregory certainly had these strengths.

Death touches each of us differently. For some, the feeling is simply, “I’m sorry.” For others it can be a deep personal loss going beyond words, and surfacing in some way for an extended period. Although I did not have the pleasure and honor of knowing Gregory personally, the latter is how my comrade in arms death affects me now, and will continue to affect me.

Gregory had dreams and wanted to live his life to the fullest. He would have loved to dance, gazed at the sun, the moon, and the sky once more; spend quality time with his small son, shoot hoops with his buddies, and feel the joy of living. Now, he is gone, only to remain in the hearts and memories of those who knew and loved him, and there were many. For this young man lost two lives, the one he was living, and the one he would have lived. We, whom he left behind, should not feel the sorrow for his passing, but rejoice in the memory of his life; a life, lost too soon.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the Missman family. You can be proud to say that your son gave his life so others may live. He did what he had taken an oath to do. He did it without thinking of the risk involved and, whatever was done, he believed that it was correct, and honorable. War drew him from his homeland in the sunlit springtime of his youth. Those, like your son Gregory, who did not come home alive, remain in perpetual springtime, forever young, and a part of him is with us forever. We will often wonder what kind of life your son might have had, and how different our world would be if he had lived.
Thank you and farewell, MY COMRADE IN ARMS.

May God cradle Army Spc. Gregory James Missman, in His loving arms.

“When you departed from this life,
The loss was so severe,
That deep within our aching hearts,
There falls an endless tear.”


TO THOSE WHO DIED,
HONOR AND ETERNAL REST.

TO THOSE STILL MISSING,
REMEMBRANCE AND HOPE.

TO THOSE WHO RETURNED,
GRATITUDE AND PEACE.


Godspeed young man.
Hiram Abiff
The Widow's Son

Where ever God shall guide our Brother no want shall turn him back,
His shepard is beside him and nothing will he lack,
God's wisdom waketh, God's sight is never dim,
He knows the way our Brother taketh, and he will walk with him.

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