It's said that people die twice: once when their heart stops for the last time; and the last time someone says their name out loud. Every Memorial Day I stop to say the name "Staff Sergeant Kevin Zeigler" aloud. The Darling Bride's nephew was a Staff Sergeant of the United States Army 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division. On August 12, 2006, he was leading his platoon on foot patrol during combat operations outside Baghdad. He directed his platoon to ease back as he and his assistant platoon leader ran point ahead of the soldiers in their charge. He spotted the tripwire of an IED and marked it: what he didn't see, however, was the second tripwire.
While Memorial Day holds a much deeper meaning for those who lost someone far closer to them than a nephew, it still leaves a void in the family that can never be filled; a pain in the heart that can never be healed; and a debt that we, as a nation, can never repay.
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