Robert Augustine Seidel III

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by The Gazette on January 29, 2007:

Soldier honored through "Rob's Van" Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006 Memories of a fallen soldier are fueling efforts to help injured soldiers returning home from war. A national project called "Wheels for Warriors," organized by Operation Support Our Troops, has hit home through the family of Lt. Robert A. Seidel III. Seidel, 23, of Emmitsburg, was one of three soldiers killed in May while serving in Iraq. He was a platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion in the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y. The 2000 Catoctin High School graduate was buried in Emmitsburg on Memorial Day. In Seidel's memory, money is being raised for the Wheels for Warriors program. It provides vehicles with chair lifts to injured soldiers who are returning home from war. Money raised in the "Rob's Van" fund will benefit members of the 10th Mountain Division, which Seidel served in. For Seidel's father, Robert Seidel Jr., the gesture is bittersweet. "It's certainly an honor to have a van named after Rob and, more importantly ,that it will help a severely injured soldier," Seidel said this week. According to the group's Web site, the vehicles cost $50,000 each. The group hopes to present the vehicle to the 10th Mountain Division in the spring. Donations may be mailed to Operation Support Our Troops, Wheels for Warriors, P.O. Box, 404, North Kingstown, R.I. 02852. The Seidel family remains hopeful that the vehicle will make a difference in another family's life. "My wife and I agree that anytime a positive spin can be put on things in life, especially when it comes to Robbie's passing, it's a good thing," Seidel said. "It's a good way to remember him." For more information on the program, visit www.osot.org

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