Robert Augustine Seidel III

West Point, 2004

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Ingrid Mezo on January 29, 2007:

Hundreds honor fallen soldier in Emmitsburg Thursday, June 1, 2006 by Ingrid Mezo Staff Writer Memorial Day had a special meaning this year for the North Frederick County community, which came out in droves to mourn the loss of one of their own Monday. Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral and burial of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert A. Seidel III at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Basilica and St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church Cemetery nearby. Seidel died with three other soldiers on May 18 when a bomb detonated near their vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Seidel was a rifle platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion in the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, out of Fort Drum, N.Y. He was a 2000 graduate of Catoctin High School, and graduated from West Point in 2004. Seidel's family moved from Emmitsburg to Gettysburg, Pa., about three years ago, his brother, Stephen Seidel, said last week. Seidel had a choice of burial at Arlington National Cemetery, West Point Academy, Gettysburg or in Emmitsburg. His father had asked the last time he was home, just in case, where he would like to be buried. "He said without hesitation, Emmitsburg," Robert Seidel Jr., said. "That was his hometown and he loved the place, and that's where he wanted to be buried." Among the crowds were hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders, a group of non-partisan motorcycle riders from across the nation. The group, which attends funeral services of fallen American soldiers, lined the street from the church to the burial ground holding U.S. flags. The group's two missions, according to its Web site, are to show respect to soldiers, their families and communities, and to shield mourners from interruptions caused by protestors. Six protesters from a Kansas church came to hold signs with inflammatory messages in an area on South Seton Avenue outside the town's corporate limits. The basilica was so full that many people stood in the foyer to listen to the service, presided over by the Rev. James Kiernan, former pastor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Emmitsburg. W. Francis Malooly, auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, also provided final commendation. Seidel's fifth-grade teacher offered the first eulogy by a reading a war poem Seidel had written while in her class. The poem was dedicated to a soldier who died in Vietnam. In the poem Seidel speaks in the persona of Marine PFC Charles R. Pittinger, killed in action on Nov. 17, 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. The poem evokes a soldier's pride in serving his country, but questions the human cost of war. Seidel's uncle, Ed Wyatt, read an evaluation of Seidel by company commander Capt. Michael Pecina, in which Pecina commended Seidel for his work ethic and leadership ability, and said he thought Seidel would some day make a great company commander. Wyatt also read an evaluation of Seidel by his battalion commander that praised the young soldier for his outstanding performance in the line of duty. "He was dedicated," Robert's mother Sandy Seidel said in an interview last week. "He thought more about his men than anything, and he said he was ready to get back the last time he was here. He said that's where he was needed, and he said he wouldn't be able to relax and feel like he was home until they all came home in August." Seidel's football coach at Catoctin High School, Doug Williams, read an essay Seidel wrote in his application to West Point, in which Seidel described how he would handle the responsibility of making decisions that could result in the death of those under his command. Seidel wrote that war requires sacrifice by those who would protect freedom and liberty, and he would never ask anyone under his command to make a sacrifice he was not willing to make himself. In the final eulogy, Maj. Jeff Logan recalled how Seidel had come to his trailer with another soldier one night and joked about how bad he must smell after not showering and wearing the same uniform for three weeks. Logan's voice wavered after recalling Seidel's antics while setting up a Christmas tree at West Point, and playing football there. Seidel's family was presented with his five posthumous awards, including a bronze star, purple heart, combat infantry badge, Iraqi Campaign medal and a medal for the Global War on Terrorism. Catoctin High Principal Jack Newkirk said he spoke with Seidel's father on Tuesday about setting up a scholarship in his honor through the Community Foundation of Frederick County Inc. Copyright 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement

admin