[Dan]

RELEASE NUMBER: 050628-03
DATE POSTED: JUNE 29, 2005

SF Soldiers remembered in ceremony
By April Rowden
Paraglide

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, June 29, 2005) — Two Special Forces Soldiers killed in action earlier this month were remembered at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Chapel here June 24, 2005.

The 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Victor Cervantes, a 27-year-old weapons sergeant, and Staff Sgt. Christopher Piper, a 43-year-old communications sergeant, died from injuries suffered during combat operations in Afghanistan.

“These were extraordinary men and Special Forces Soldiers who represented the warrior spirit… The spirit the U.S. expects from each of us,” Lt. Col. James E. Kraft, battalion commander, 3rd Battalion, 7th SFG, told the packed chapel. “They didn’t run to the sound of the C-17 waiting, heading back to Pope (AFB). They ran to the sound of the guns."

The Soldiers were near the end of their deployment at the time of the attack.

For those who did not know Cervantes, he was described as a war-proven Soldier, a trivia fact-master, a reliable and passionate man, and an accomplished athlete, even in badminton.

Piper, a father and husband, was remembered as a team player, strong-willed with a commanding presence, an athletic inspiration to the younger guys, a handyman who liked to buy tools on line, and an avid coffee drinker, often having five to seven cups before 5 a.m.

Sniffles from the audience were audible during the unmistakable silence of the last roll call which included the deceased Soldiers’ names. Their names were called three times, giving them a final opportunity to respond.

A 21-gun salute and Taps concluded the memorial ceremony.


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