Coles deputy’s Iraq service forged bonds with comrades
“I see it as a veteran who served in a war that followed those attacks. I see it through the eyes of someone who has spent a career in law enforcement. And I see it simply as an American, a husband, a father and a member of a community,” Heleine said.
All these different perspectives are why Heleine believes that remembering 9/11 is so important.
“We remember the innocent civilians who went to work, boarded airplanes or started what they believed would be an ordinary day and then never came home. We remember the firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other first responders who ran toward danger while everyone else was trying to escape it.”
Heleine added that, “We also remember the service members who answered their country’s call in the years that followed, including those who never returned home and those who came home carrying wounds and experiences that remained with them for the rest of their lives.”
Remembering the fallen
Veterans of Log Base Seitz report that the 1544th is bonded over the loss of five soldiers and the wounds endured by 28 Purple Heart recipients during a year-long tour on what is considered to be one of the most heavily mortared bases in Iraq.
The 1544th lost Staff Sgt. Ivory L. Phipps of Chicago, Spc. Jeremy L. Ridlen of Maroa, Sgt. Shawna Morrison of Paris, Spc. Charles Lamb of Casey and Sgt. Jessica L. Cawvey of Mahomet.
Retired Illinois Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Tyler Heleine runs alongside his son, Jagger, during the Illinois Run for the Fallen Aug. 15 at the Linder Sports Complex in Charleston. The Run is held in memory of the Illinois service members who died in the War on Terrorism. Heleine is running while wearing a T-shirt bearing the names of his five fellow soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard’s Paris-Based 1544th Transportation Co. who were killed in action in Iraq.
Heleine said the responsibility to remember is also something he and his wife try to pass on to their 5-year-old son. He said they want him to grow up understanding the importance of honoring those who serve their country, whether they wear a military uniform or serve as a first responder.