Memorial Day at Fort Carson reminds us what freedom truly costs
By Mary Shinn | Denver Gazette
"I go, not to win the war, but to come home to my wife and children."
The first Fort Carson soldier to die in Iraq, Pfc. Jesse Givens, wrote those highly relatable words in his journal. And while his time in the Army was short, his sentiments resonate today, said Fort Carson's Maj. Gen. David Doyle during a Thursday morning ceremony ahead of Memorial Day.
"I took an oath to protect my country, not for the sake of saving the world, but for the hopes that my family wouldn't have to live in a world filled with hate, fear or sadness, a world in which America can triumph," Doyle said, quoting Givens' journal.
Givens died when his tank plunged into the Euphrates River, the general said. The soldier who had served for 15 months was recov...