Robert Augustine Seidel III

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Chief Mark Sacra on January 27, 2007:

Memorial Day in Emmitsburg Jun 9, 2006 3:09 PM Chesterfield County (Va.) Fire & EMS electronically publishes a daily newsletter for its personnel. The responsibility for the Daily Business Plan, as it's called, rotates among the four operational battalion chiefs on each shift. At the end of each edition is an opportunity for the author to add a personal comment. This past week, Bttn. Chief Mark Sacra wrote of his experience on Memorial Day, which he spent in a National Fire Academy classroom until the day's events changed. I was so touched by what Sacra wrote that I asked to reprint a portion of his article. "I was not looking forward to spending a county holiday sitting in a classroom. But this holiday trip to the National Fire Academy took a much different twist. "On May 18, 2006, 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III, 23, of the U.S. Army, was one of three U.S. soldiers killed in a roadside bomb attack. 1st Lt. Seidel was a native of the Emmitsburg, Md., area and he was the first person from that area to have been accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. On Memorial Day, his family buried him. The service was held at the National Shrine of the Basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton that adjoins the National Emergency Training Center campus. Faculty, staff and students at the Fire Academy decided to attend the service as a show of support for a fallen soldier, his family and the community that is home to the Academy. "Every two weeks, approximately 200 members of the fire service converge at the Academy to attend their classes. Aside from gaining an education, they are served by the citizens of the Emmitsburg area, whether it is the cleaning staff who services the rooms, or the dining hall staff who serves the meals. Granny's Attic (shirt store), O'Leary's Emporium (campus store) and Ott's (the infamous bar) all provide service to the attendees at the Academy. Those who regularly attend the Academy also felt their loss. "Class was dismissed in time for the students, faculty and staff to walk the half-mile or so to the Basilica. We filed into what was probably a Fire Marshal's worst nightmare, standing-room only in a church. The Patriot Guard Riders were present. This is a group of military veterans who are organized by state and mobilize to show support at the funerals of soldiers. This group is easily recognized because they are motorcycle riders. "There were several speakers who reflected on 1st Lt. Seidel's life. His fifth-grade teacher read a poem that Seidel had written in elementary school about a Marine killed in the Vietnam War. The poem seemed to foreshadow the fate that would be his in life. His high school coach read from the essay question that he wrote for his West Point application. He wrote of knowing that he might one day have to send young men to their death during battle. He also wrote that he must be willing to make the same sacrifice himself. The words were much more mature than your typical high school student would write. "At this point, they played a song for the congregation. During February, Lt. Seidel had come home for a visit. He was often heard singing his favorite country song aroung the house; Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton: "When I Get Where I'm Going." This song speaks of what someone would do when they reach the end of their life's journey. "Finally, a brigadier general spoke a few words and then presented the family with numerous medals, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, to reflect his bravery under fire, his participation in the war effort and his leadership of his troops. With that, the casket and the procession filed out of the church, past the veterans with their flags, and to the end of the road where the cemetery was. There he was laid to rest with full military honors, and the love and respect of what seemed to be an entire community. "On this Memorial Day, the town of Emmitsburg buried a favorite son, and the U.S. Army buried a great leader and officer. Those of us who were attending the Academy expected to get a good education. We knew that the networking would provide us with information that would be useful. But this trip was different from others. Although the curriculum and our instructors did a good job of covering the topic of leadership, they couldn't touch the descriptions of leadership that we heard during that funeral."

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