The making of a memorial

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Ken Sloat
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  It was his favorite holiday.

He looked at his birthday in October as a count down to Christmas. So Army Sgt. Michael E. Yaschinski loved being with his family at that very special time of the year.

“He never missed a Christmas, even when he was stationed in Italy -- except for 2003,” said his mother, Debora Yaschinski.

Sergeant Yaschinski called his parents on Dec. 22, 2003, to make arrangements for a longer conversation on Christmas, she said.

“Instead, on Christmas Day I received two officers who told me ‘On behalf of a grateful nation … ’” she said.

“My world crushed. My baby, my buddy, my son was gone,” she said.

The sergeant was killed in Iraq, Dec. 24, 2003, while running a communication wire near this base.

His unit had been part of largest Army’s mass combat jump since World War II. On March 23, 2003, the “Sky Soldiers” of the 173rd Airborne Division parachuted into Bashur, in northern Iraq.

In the year that followed, nine Soldiers and one Airman -- all heroes -- died fighting to make the Kirkuk mission a success. So nobody would forget their sacrifices, the base named some of its streets in their honor.

But a group of civil engineers discovered the street signs -- memorials really -- that honored the brave troops were missing.

“It would be almost impossible to figure out why -– almost two years after the 173rd left Forward Operating Base Warrior -– the signs heralding their fallen were no longer in place,” Master Sgt. Brian Lewis said.

The sergeant is the noncommissioned officer in charge of site development for the 506th Civil Engineering Squadron. He deployed from Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska.

Nobody knew why there were no street signs.

“It could have been traffic, weather -- or maybe they were never even put up,” the sergeant said. “They aren’t there and that’s wrong.

Sergeant Lewis set wanted to put the signs where they belonged. He said it wasn’t a matter of if it could be done, but when.

As a sight development engineer, Sergeant Lewis prepares base maps and helps design long-term improvements. So it’s not uncommon for him give someone directions around the base.

“It’s important the streets have these names posted,” he said. “In this case, it’s about more then just being able to help people navigate.

“These fallen troops deserve to have their name proudly presented. It’s the least we can do,” he said.

So the sergeant began by inspecting the sites where the signs should have been. He found some of the signs still in place were too small to be seen or were in poor condition. So he set about replacing them.

“I tried to strategically place them at busy intersections,” he said.

He wanted the new signs to get a lot of attention.

“They deserve to have their names boldly represented,” he said.

Sergeant Lewis turned the project over to the structures section.

It took structural journeyman Senior Airman Joey Nachez several days to complete the final construction and installation of more than 20 signs. It took two days to cut the wood and get the signs painted. Installing them took another day.

“We used big white signs with bold black letters,” said the Airman, deployed from Pease Air Force Base, N.H.

Getting the signs up held a special meaning for Staff Sgt. William Welsh, a structural craftsman from the New York Air National Guard at Suffolk County.

“I think of this is a special gift to the parents,” he said. “We shouldn’t forget they made a significant sacrifice as well.”

Each of the parents lost a part of their family, he said.

Sergeant Yaschinski’s name is on one of the signs. Now, his memorial is there for everyone to see.

“This gift means a lot to me,” Ms. Yaschinski said. “My son -- and the rest -- will not be forgotten.”