Joshua Todd Byers

West Point, 1996

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Stan Hardee on November 10, 2003:

"Freedom Is Not Free" By: F. Stanton Hardee, III USMA '96 Friend and classmate of Josh Byers In memory of Capt. Joshua Todd Byers, West Point Graduate Class of '96 Killed in action on 23 July 2003 in Ramadi, Iraq My request and prayer is that the readers of this true story of love and sacrifice can help me persuade President Bush to give a personal phone call to all of the families of those killed serving their country. I am also asking the media to give those families the same amount of coverage that Jessica Lynch received. I am glad that the media gave her and her family that coverage; people need to know that these are real people like you and me with families that are protecting our freedom. Unfortunately, some of them die and never will return to their families. I think Jessica being a soldier herself would agree that the fallen heros who will never get to walk on American soil again deserve just as much coverage. I decided to write this after I heard Josh's father say the following: "I know the President is a busy man, but is a personal phone call too much to ask. If he gave just one minute, just one minute to call each family of those killed in action...that would really mean a lot. That would really mean a lot to me and my family. It is not like Vietnam where thousands are getting killed. It is one or two a day. I don't think a personal phone call is too much to ask considering my son gave his life." After hearing those humble words of a father, I decided to write this and hope it will get printed. Personally, I believe it is a very small favor to ask considering the fact that they gave their lives carrying out a mission that President Bush selected. As Commander-In-Chief, President Bush must take care of his troops and be accountable for the results of his actions and decisions both good and bad. A military commander's toughest job is telling the family their son or daughter was killed serving under their command. What devastating news it must have been for Kim Byers, Josh's wife, after she was looking forward to his homecoming and was receiving all his letters and photos bringing the good news that he finally was given command of a cavalry troop--a boyhood dream was now reality. Being a soldier's wife is one of the toughest jobs in the world. It is a job requiring so much sacrifice and patience, and patience, and patience. Military families are told often something like the following: "The troops will return home in 6 months; it has been extended to 8 months... 10 months... a year." But worse is "Ma'am, we are sorry to inform you that your husband, Captain Joshua Todd Byers, was killed today in Iraq." Kim was married to Josh for four and a half years. Being an Army wife constantly moving from post to post, she had to struggle to finally get her nursing degree. She had to keep transferring credit hours, and sometimes the next college did not let the credits transfer due to numerous reasons. Kim had persistence, though and achieved her goal. She was focused and kept her eyes on Jesus Christ through it all. When Josh was still single, I recall him saying that first requirement to be my wife is that she must be a strong Christian. He had numerous other criteria, and I remember saying, "Josh, I don't know if women like that exist." Well, they do--Kim Byers is one of them. I knew she had to be super to meet Josh's criteria. I believe that President Bush is a Christian man; therefore, I would hope that he could be a Good Samaritan and give these families of soldiers killed in action a phone call. It would really mean a lot to them. I think it can be easy to forget about those fallen heroes when we become callused to hearing the daily television news report of "One soldier killed in Iraq today." This type of news was a front-page article in newspapers at the beginning of the war on terrorism. A couple of months later it became second page news, then third page... Now, you are lucky if there is more than a sentence printed commemorating the heroic sacrifice some young woman or man made. Has America forgotten them? These are not just numbers; they are real people like you and me. Some mother and father lost a son; some little girl will never get to see her father come home or walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. A little boy will never get to experience his real mother kissing a bruised knee when he falls; he will never hear mom cheering for him when he hits a homerun. These men and women of valor deserve front-page articles every day. This is not an interest rate that fell or stock prices that went down; this was a person whose life was taken in the prime of their youth. You never hear much about troops in Afghanistan anymore; we have thousands deployed there. But I guess that news does not sell as well or is not good enough to print. It is easy for politicians sitting in air conditioned rooms, returning to their families at night, to sign an order to deploy thousands of eighteen and nineteen year olds away from their family for an undefined period in blistering heat and miserable conditions. It is easy for politicians in Washington to forget because unlike when the Greatest Generation went off to war, the senators and congressmen with prior military service are greatly outnumbered by the majority who have never spent a day in uniform. When parents dream about the perfect son they want to have or wish they had, they dream about Josh Byers. Josh was the son and grandson of Baptist ministers, but he never was what people call a "Bible thumper" or "Jesus freak." Josh didn't force his faith or Christian beliefs on you nor did he preach to you. He didn't have to... his actions did all the preaching and spoke much louder than words from a human voice. University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant once said, "Actions speak louder than words... the sun is the most powerful force in the universe, and it never makes a sound." Josh would give you the shirt off his back, the shoes on his feet and the last drop of water in his canteen. If someone asked me to describe Josh, I would probably say look for Jesus Christ with a Southern drawl. He had a thick redneck accent but he spoke with confidence and eloquence--in a good way, he was a "sweet talking son of a preacher man." His words could make a hobo feel like a king. Josh was an optimist and always looked at the cup not as half full or half empty but full to the top. I never once saw Josh get depressed or down about anything; he lived and exemplified the words of the Bible, Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Josh gave all his worries and troubles to God. At West Point other cadets were drawn to him like a magnet. We all wanted to know his secret for being so cheerful at a place like West Point for a plebe (West Point name for freshmen). Plebe year is the hardest year at West Point because that is when all the hazing takes place. As a plebe, the most depressing period was when we returned from Christmas leave. For two weeks you had been partying with friends and were treated like the hometown hero, but that elated feeling is quickly forgotten once you get back into that 19th century gray wool uniform with upperclassmen hollering at you for putting the wrong number of ice cubes in their glass. The weather at West Point is miserable in winter--the sky is gray; the granite buildings are gray; your uniforms are gray; and your mind and morale easily acquire the same color. The only way to stop this gray atmosphere from consuming you was a small dose of Cadet Joshua T. Byers; a couple of minutes with ole Josh was like a gallon of Prozac injected into you. I remember numerous occasions plebe year when I would go to Josh's room to act the fool and "chew the fat." Josh and I both had memorized the lines of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman the fierce drill instructor in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Every time we got together we had to act out parts of the movie which meant I got to play drill instructor and holler at Josh who played as the basic trainee and vice versa. We would also mock and impersonate the upperclassmen who hazed us that week so from the hall, it sounded as if an upperclassman was hazing plebes in Josh's room until we started laughing. The upperclassmen would then come into the room and haze us for being so loud. They would say, "Don't you plebes get hazed enough? It sounds like two rednecks hazing each other and getting a kick out of it. We are trying to study; but you plebes are way too loud and shouldn't be having fun hazing one another." With the wonderful parents Josh had, I suppose Josh was destined to become a man of God and friend to all. Josh's motto engraved on his class ring says it all: "To lead is to serve." Josh was always in the service as a Christian soldier. Lloyd and Mary Byers, Josh's parents, are Baptist missionaries and church planters who currently serve as missionaries in Guam. They have moved about every four years starting new churches throughout South Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada. Josh's brothers, Milam and Jared, are members of "Bleach" a popular Christian band. I remember when Josh's mom, Mary, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Josh said, "Just pray for my mother." I said, "Sure, no problem." I asked him: "Josh, how can you be still smiling and joking around?" He said, "Stan, I just give this problem to God so I am not loaded down with worry." I remember thinking to myself, "That is what you call FAITH, leaning on Jesus who can give you strength greater than any man could provide." However, one can only acquire this inner power and Christian fortitude if you truly believe deep down that Jesus Christ will carry you when life's trials are bringing you down. That is what faith is in a nutshell. I knew the concept of faith because I became a Christian when I was 12 years old, but I think I did not really understand it or truly practice it until I met Josh Byers in Baptist Student Union my plebe year at West Point. I remember another tragedy when Josh's maternal grandfather, Reverend Alewine, passed away. Just like the words of an old hymn, Josh took it to the Lord in prayer and kept on laughing and smiling. All of the Byers family is like that--they can smile and laugh in the midst of a tragedy because of their resilient persevering Christian faith. When I learned of Josh's death through Abe Usher, a West Point classmate and friend of Josh and me, I wondered how the Byers family was taking this terrible news. Mary and Lloyd were flying to the U.S. on July 23rd, Mary's birthday, to see family and for business. When they got off the plane, Milam and Jared were there to wish their mother a happy birthday but also to tell her that her oldest son was killed in Iraq. How much pain can one family handle before they lose faith in God? I thought the Byers family would have been down, depressed and unable to function in their usual happy, warm and loving personalities. I thought this is was the straw that broke the camel's back. Boy was I wrong! Through the funeral we all shed tears but after the burial, and the bugler played Taps, the Byers family was smiling and laughing as we talked about our wonderful memories and good times with Josh. If you ever want to know what model Christians are like, go meet the Byers family. Their Christian faith and warm hospitable personalities will fill you with more joy than you could imagine. I am writing these words because that is the effect they have had on my life and all those whom they meet. I was blessed to know Josh and his family. God Bless Josh Byers and his family. Please contact me if you would like the Byers' address and phone numbers; my address and phone are listed below. I would like to ask all Americans to keep their flags and yellow ribbons out until all the troops come home. I pray and hope that Americans learn from this that Josh and all those fallen heroes did not just serve their country; they gave their lives, the ultimate sacrifice. Freedom is not free. Sincerely, F. Stanton Hardee, III 1148 Willow Creek Drive Zachary, LA 70791 Phone: 225-572-7656 Email: stantonhardee@yahoo.com

admin