Live For Them
SGT Cameron Meddock showed up to battalion at a weird time for me. I was injured and working on moving companies and I had seen a lot of new guys come and go. Cam was not one of those guys. Some people show up and you just know. Cam was such a nice and genuine dude. We could sit around and shoot the shit and goof off about all things Texas with my best buddy Jason L. Upton and then watch Cam’s demeanor completely shift at the range. Put a weapon in his hands and tell him to perform and perform he did. Cam excelled in all things Ranger and it was humbling to witness before I left the company.
SGT Leandro Jasso was a great example of the grit that it takes to excel in Ranger Bn. We were privates together in 1D, and competition between squads was alive and well. I will always remember the wrestling match that we had right before pre-deployment leave and the subsequent shiner that I brought home with me from a swift boot to the face. You showed me the in’s and out’s of the heavy machine guns and you taught me how to chew tobacco like a boss. I swear you always had some Red Man on you. I watched you make it your goal to conquer Ranger School and it was awesome to witness some of your career progression while I moved out of Bn. Hearing about your passing as a civilian was heart wrenching and I am truly honored to have spent the years that I had with you learning about what it takes to be a Ranger.
CPL Andrew Aimesbury was a true example of what it takes to excel in Ranger Regiment. We went through RASP (Ranger selection) together and we clicked right away. We were both from the nowhere state of NH which apparently no one in the Army can locate on a map. He was so optimistic and outgoing and his outlook on life will forever stick with me. He was always the first to volunteer for the tough stuff and he physically outperformed a lot of the class. He went to 1st Ranger Battalion while I went to 2nd so we quickly lost touch but it was no surprise to see how fast he ranked up through the lenses of social media. I swear that every time I saw a new picture of him, he had some new bling or rank on his uniform. He was a true Ranger & I will always admire his tenacity and his optimism.
MPC Maiko was a fearsome presence every time he was around. There is no scarier call over the radio when you’re playing Op-For then hearing “dog-on-bite”. Granted it was training so the working dog still had his muzzle on but in the back of my mind I always thought what if... I got to witness some of the Ranger dog handlers jump out of planes with a parachute and a dog attached to their hips. I watched as those same Rangers clipped onto a fast rope and slid out of a helicopter with a massive Malinois attached to them. These dogs were insanely disciplined and loyal and Maiko made the ultimate sacrifice protecting fellow Rangers.
“There is no greater love, then to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” - John 15:13
Memorial day is a day to remember and respect all of the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I am sharing my small experiences with these men that I have had the honor of knowing. They would want to beat the shit out of me if I sat around sulking so I will say this... have your fun this weekend and enjoy the great weather! Have an extra drink for those that you’ve known and check up on one another. Today can be a tough day for many but we honor them by celebrating what they sacrificed for.
These men motivate me every second of every day. These men are my reason for pushing forward. Because of them, I am humbled by every moment that I get to sit around in my wheelchair. Rest easy my friends.
Post Combined from November 2018 - What Drives Me
Aug 18, 1994 - May 18, 2014
My first taste of death in the military came about a year and a half into my Army career. I was deployed in Afghanistan and I was prowling Facebook checking for my fix of drama back home. I noticed a familiar face plastered on my newsfeed by a bunch of friends from my initial military training. Private First Class Gregory Adkins. I first met this man in reception before basic training started. I was a scrappy 19 year old looking for good company to bond with before the chaos of basic training started. I was pretty friendly and outgoing so naturally I gravitated to the other outgoing kid. Adkins was constantly keeping kids from falling asleep while standing (a punishable offense) by making them laugh. You simply couldn’t be around him without cracking up. Before everyone got organized into separate groups by alphabetically using last names, I had the privilege of sitting next to Adkins and shooting the shit. You just couldn’t be in a bad mood around him.
We separated into platoons alphabetically a few weeks in and unfortunately ‘A’ and ‘K’ were too far off to be together. I lost touch a bit as we made newer, closer friends in our respective platoons (about 40-50 men), but whenever there were company events it was easy to gravitate to him and his buddies because they would be the ones cracking up, even in the crumbiest situations.
I was sad to learn about his passing through FB and not word of mouth. I had a few friends with me on my deployment who had been with me since day 1 in the Army and we bonded over our small stories with our buddy. It was crazy to us that someone we knew had already passed away. I wish that I had taken more opportunities to joke and laugh with him. Gregory Adkins made the choice to serve his nation and had passed away doing what few would understand. Remember him.
I first met Andrew Aimesbury in RASP (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program) back in 2013. Going into such an intense selection process meant that many of the men I met were going to be gone pretty quickly which made forming friendships pretty difficult. I bumped into one of my first bunkmates (Andrew) in our barracks after day one of selection. I remember being angry and tired, and then confused when I saw that my new Ranger buddy was smiling and laughing. I knew right away that he was a Ranger through and through and that he was going to get me through RASP.
We clicked right away because we were both from New Hampshire, which most of the guys strangely couldn't even find on a map. He made for some good laughs during an awful time and he was a true and loyal friend. RASP ended and sure enough Andrew was standing there in formation with me and a bunch of other great men. Our class started with 160 men and graduated about about half. I never once doubted that my fellow New Hampshire Ranger would be there. I was sad when they sent me to 2nd Battalion while he went off to 1st Bn, but he deserved the beaches of Georgia. I have to stop making friends who’s last names start with ‘A’ considering most everything is separated alphabetically.
I remember bumping into him in Germany when he was coming home from Afghanistan (his first combat deployment) and I was going there for my first combat deployment. I was nervous for my first trip to Afghanistan and of course he was there smiling away. We caught up and exchanged Ranger horror stories. He took the time to put my nerves at rest. He was once again showing me how to make a situation good no matter what. That was the last time I spoke to my friend.
Andrew really embellished what it meant to be a Ranger. He was one of the first friends that I had from RASP to earn his Ranger Tab and to get any rank past Specialist. He gave his life to country while serving in one of the worlds most elite military units. A Ranger through and through. Remember him.
I’ll start from the beginning. After graduating from Ranger selection in September 2013, myself and a group of other fresh Rangers made our way from Georgia to Washington State where 2nd Ranger Battalion is. Arriving here and being the new guy was extremely intimidating. Luckily there was already a group of young Rangers to take us in and show us the ropes. Leandro Jasso was one of these men.
The Ranger platoon that I was sent to was fairly undermanned which meant that sliding under the radar was nearly impossible. Messing up as a private meant “getting smoked” (push-ups and other workouts for punishment). It takes a lot to stay in a Ranger unit and the “senior privates” helped me immensely. Jasso was in weapons squad which was the 4th squad making up my new platoon. I was sent to second squad and I would be spending a lot of time working directly with Jasso and the other privates there.
A huge part of being a Ranger is unit pride. Part of that is learning how to fight and be competitive. There is always competition between the Squads (5-10 man groups) within the platoon and what helps to build camaraderie are “ball-up sessions”. It is essentially just spontaneous squad vs. squad grappling matches. I’ll never forget the following first impression I received from Jasso.
It was a random 2nd squad vs. Weapons squad match up and I found myself searching for a target that was around my same size and stature. I found the wrong man. I had no idea that Jasso had wrestled through out high school and within seconds I was down and blacking out. What followed a swift, accidental boot to the face from Jasso. I got to spend my first leave home with a black eye. Jasso and I would often joke about our first encounter.
Through out the following three years I got to watch and learn from Rangers including Jasso. He taught me things spanning from chewing loose leaf tobacco all the way to disassembling a .50 cal machine gun. One of the most important things that I got to learn from him early on was to enjoy every day. He was a breath of fresh air no matter the situation. He showed me that no matter how awful a training week was that it was just as important to get up and have fun. Whether it was getting me to a friends barracks room so we could play video games together or dragging my ass to a bar for a weekend out, Jasso was a loyal friend and an even better Ranger. It is my ultimate privilege to consider this great man a friend at all.
SGT Jasso was killed in combat operations in Afghanistan just two days after this last Thanksgiving. Remember him.
God Bless you all and God Bless America.
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