Robert Augustine Seidel III

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by MAJ Jeff Logan on August 23, 2007:

Major Jeff Logan Eulogy for Robbie Seidel Memorial Day: May 29, 2006 Mr. and Mrs. Seidel, Stephen…BG Michael Lally, distinguished guest and friends. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. We pay tribute to those Men and Women who have unselfishly sacrificed their life so that we may continue to celebrate freedom. A day where two years ago, a man who never thought he would ever see the end of it, reached another pinnacle in his life…Graduating from West Point. Today is a day that we will not only mourn the loss of all unselfish soldiers who have died for our country but we will mourn the loss of Robbie, an outstanding Lieutenant, friend and son. Robbie and I go back to about a year prior to his plebe year at West Point. I had the honor of meeting him and his parents thru Colonel Gscheidle. To make a long story short, Colonel Gscheidle retired and Robbie then came under my watch as I was now his sponsor at West Point. This was an extreme honor to my family and I that we were going to oversee one of our nation’s brightest cadets. We definitely had some good times. On a dark night in Iraq, late March time frame, I had a knock on my trailer door. Being in the Army Nurse Corps and waiting to be called on, I immediately jumped up and ran to my door to find two young LT’s standing there with bright smiles on their faces and those stupid looking boonie caps. “We found you Sir”……I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Dave Strickler and Robbie Seidel, the two cadets that I sponsored and truly befriended at West Point standing at my door. After giving them the gentlemen handshake with a hug, I invited them in and we talked for over two hours. It was amazing to see how much Robbie had grown up and buffed up. Thank God there wasn’t a noise discipline on Camp Striker because listening to them tell their stories was absolutely priceless. They were talking about finding the largest cache of weapons in Iraq and Rob said he found it and smiled. Dave came right back and stated that he gave him the area to look in but that it was Rob’s platoon that found the cache. You could tell that Dave and Rob had a bond that nobody could break. While Rob and Dave were talking, I noticed some new creatures in my room. At first I thought they might be coming from my window but they were coming off of Robbie. Robbie looked at me laughing and said with a glowing smile, “Sir, I know I must reek pretty bad but I have not changed my uniform or showered in weeks.” He loved everything about his job and he was not afraid of anything. As we stood in my trailer, Robbie laughingly recalled his version of my last Christmas at West Point. Robbie asked me if I remember emailing all the cadets to come up and watch some football games and eat dinner at my house. He remembered that he was the only one that came up and he recalls being stuck bringing in the Christmas tree all by himself and that the tree was so big, it was knocking him off his feet. He also recalled decorating the tree with little help from us. I literally had tears in my eyes listening to him make fun of our Christmas tree. I know Robbie was thinking that he shouldn’t have answered my email. Imagine all that for a football game and dinner. I don’t recall the story the way Robbie was telling it, but if I did have you carry the tree in yourself and decorate it too, thanks again for your help. Another topic brought up was Army football. We had a plan to get together this September for an Army football game. Robbie was extremely proud of graduating from West Point. He told Dave and I that he wanted to go back to West Point (drink a beer with me now that he’s legal” and sleep on the plain with a sign reading – Do Not Disturb---Old Grad Sleeping. Robbie went on to tell me that he had several close calls with direct fire and indirect fire but most of all that he loved every minute of what he was doing. He believed that everything we are doing in Iraq right now is making a huge difference for the Iraqi people. The three of us agreed that if we were not taking it to the terrorist on their land, they would be taking it to us on ours. I know for a fact, Robbie was giving his heart and soul to what he believed in. I close with a poem sent to me by Dave Strickler. It’s a fitting tribute to the man and soldier Robbie became. It is a poem that Robbie wrote and shared with him and other friends prior to the day he was killed: Now cloaked under the darkness of a soft desert sky I feel a strange likeness between my father and I For now I’m a father to thirty young men Related only through the blood that we’ve shed And they look up to me to lead them through the fight For we know not what awaits us this cold desert night But I’ve vowed to protect them, and bring them all home So may I find strength in the courage they’ve shown And as my father, I ask the Lord as I pray Watch over my boys, if today is my day Robbie will truly be missed by all, but the memories he left with us will be cherished forever.

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